Our Response to the Daily Bruin Article

Anthony… I’m assuming you’ve had the wool pulled over your eyes, but it has not escaped our notice that your distraught handicapped person, Victor Pineda, is a Graduate Student in Urban Planning, surprise, surprise, the same department that spawned the whole attack on Apron Parking in the North Village courtesy of Michael Dukakis and, you guessed it, Urban Planning Professor Donald Shoup. To not mention Mr. Pineda’s connection to Shoup in the story damages its credibility.  What was quite possibly an oversight can appear, through skeptical eyes, to be a set-up by the Daily Bruin.

 

The ADA has never been the real issue here. It is the fact that Kitty Dukakis doesn’t like the way we’re parked and Professors Dukakis and Shoup have been misusing the resources of a taxpayer-funded university to inflict their will on us and damage our property values.  

 

Their central argument about blocked sidewalks is a straw man. Everybody agrees that a wheelchair should be able to pass down the sidewalks and that cars blocking the sidewalk should be ticketed or towed.  That has never been in question. In fact, cars are ticketed for blocking the sidewalk. 

 

As to the rest of the ADA claim, it seems that there has been a deliberate attempt to confuse the issue by Shoup and Dukakis given that San Francisco has recently legalized apron parking, therefore they obviously do not believe Apron parking to be an ADA violation.

 

We agree that it would be nice if the city would fix the sidewalks and provide ramps at the curbs.  We also believe there are a lot of livability issues in Westwood that should be addressed, such as rampant crime. We also believe it would be nice if they fixed the new crime magnet: a graffiti strewn ex-fraternity ruin at the corner of Landfair and Strathmore.

 

We do not believe that some dubious ADA claim by Shoup (who certainly knows about San Francisco) is anything other than a tool to get their way. 

 

We also do not see how it can possibly be in UCLA’s interests to arouse the already inflamed neighborhoods surrounding UCLA (take a look at the recall Weiss signs on the lawns – the underlying issue there is in no small part congestion) by having runaway professors making unnecessary enemies.  We have already asked that Michael Dukakis not be invited back to UCLA on our blogsite and are prepared to follow it up with petitions if necessary.

What's Wrong With This Article

You don’t even need to read the entire second paragraph of the Daily Bruin article to see that this one smells funny.  Let’s see who can spot the plant –

 

Apron parking restricts disabled students

• Anthony Pesce, News Editor (Contact)
• Published: Monday, July 30, 2007

As Victor Pineda navigated the many obstacles to wheelchair users in the Westwood North Village on his way home from a doctor’s appointment he shouted, “I’m trapped in the middle of the street.”

Pineda, a graduate student in urban planning,

Check out the whole article here.

http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2007/jul/30/anthony/

 

Hint:  Read “Pile of Shoup” or “S**t happens, Shoup is Caused” on this site.

 

 

More Good Parking News

I spoke to Evan Gordon today.  The parking enforcement will stay on hold until the motion Jack Weiss submitted is acted upon. He recommended that we be very careful about the rules now-no blocking sidewalk, etc.

 

Roxane

 

[]

Text of the Motion to the LACC

--------------- MOTION

Many neighborhoods in Los Angeles face a serious parking shortage, especially in neighborhoods that were built when parking requirements were lower than present standards. Creative measures or revisions to the municipal code may be necessary to accommodate the demand for parking.

To maximize parking in a limited area, residents of the North Village in Westwood near UCLA have utilized the driveway apron of their residence for parking for many years. Recently, the City of Los Angeles was advised that it is a violation of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines to allow motor vehicles to park in the apron and impede passage for pedestrians. Moreover, the City of Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) does not currently permit residents to park in the driveway apron irrespective of whether or not the motor vehicle protrudes into the sidewalk or street.

The California Vehicle Code does allow local municipalities to create ordinances which allow motor vehicles to park in the driveway apron. Given that driveway aprons are of varying sizes, the City should explore amending the LAMC to allow driveway apron parking where such parking ensures adequate access for the disabled by not impeding the sidewalk or street.

I THERFORE MOVE that the Department of Transportation and the City Attorney report to the Transportation Committee on amendments to the municipal code to change the definition of apron parking to allow residents to park in the driveway apron in the North Village and other areas without impeding the sidewalk or street.

PRESENTED

BY:

JACK WEISS,

Councilmember, 5^th District

SECONDED BY: _ July 13, 2007

 

 

 

 

On to the Next Fiasco

Ever Vigilant

Photo of Royal Dukakis Study Group

Leading U.S. Officials and Los Angeles Police Chief Bratton

on site survey of Mt. Whitney (Elev. 14,480')

The study was begun after Mrs. Dukakis

determined that the Mount Whitney was "ugly"

and failed to conform to accessibility guidelines

in the Americans w/ Disabilities Act.

 

Plans call  for the site to be bulldozed,

thus making the majestic mountain into a molehill.

 

Officials have already approved construction

of UCLA off-site metered parking lots

and much needed extra storage space

for the Dukakis' egos.

No Pictures Please........

 

Los Angeles Politicians,

City Officials

 and UCLA Administrators,

distancing themselves from the

Runanway M/K Dukakis & Shoup

Hijacked Public Policy & Hubris Bandwagon

 

Request to UCLA - Do Not Bring Michael Dukakis Back

Open Letter to UCLA Administration

 

Now that Jack Weiss’ office and the city council have decided to explore changing the law to accommodate what has been the reality for last 60 years or so, we find ourselves vindicated.  Of course the battle isn’t over. Dukakis has been at this for nearly three years now.  First it was the stealthy phone call to Chief Bratton, with whom he worked in Boston… Then it was by haranguing parking people, who don’t want to ticket us (they have to function in this neighborhood, too) and finally  he used the resources of UCLA students and Professors, including Donald Shoup (see ‘A Pile of Shoup’ and ‘Sh*t happens, Shoup is Caused’ on our blogsite – ‘A Shoupid Solution’ is coming)…  In short, he’s leveraged the resources of a tax supported university against its neighbors… Apparently, and I’m not making this up, because Kitty Dukakis didn’t like the looks of the way our parking looks.

 

The actions of Professors Dukakis and Professor Shoup have caused us a great deal of time, anxiety and some expense.  We are not asking the university to reimburse us, and are not, at this point contemplating any legal action, but we are asking UCLA, not to invite Dukakis back.  Certainly, the ‘freak show’ aspects of having Mr. Dukakis on campus have been played out, and certainly UCLA would like to restore good relations with neighbors who have been patient through years of construction, dramatic expansion of the campus (exacerbating Westwood’s parking problems), couch-burning celebratory student parties and the like.

 

If you would like to have a further discussion of this, please contact us.  If you would be more impressed by a petition, we will happily begin circulating one.

 

-- Your North Village Neighbors

 

question

i understand that no suv's and trucks will be allowed.  can someone clarify the size restrictions on trucks and suv's, and will they be ticketed if they apron park under these rules?

Ticket This

seen here,

the cause, (ego) 

of Westwood tandem parking fiasco;

apparently tandem parked

for some 50 years or so...

 

Caveat

Oh dear oh dear...just where has Mikey "D" gone....?

Its so quiet around here.

 

CAVEAT

 

Operatives like Mikey D

expect the citizens will doze off after a battle.

 

Operatives like Mikey D know that the battle

is not the war....so they wait....and wait.

 

Operatives like Mikey D expect to win and do not like to be resisted.

 

Westwoodians..

do not assume that the stay of execution

on Mikey D's absurd demands signals an end to the problem.

 

Typically, political types wait until the crowd is fat and happy

or diverted and then they remount their efforts with renewed fervor.

Don't allow this to happen in this instance.

 

Do not put down your pitchforks...

Pitch in with your neighbors and resist the absurd.

 

 

 

WE WON !!!

--------------- MOTION

Many neighborhoods in Los Angeles face a serious parking shortage, especially in neighborhoods that were built when parking requirements were lower than present standards. Creative measures or revisions to the municipal code may be necessary to accommodate the demand for parking.

Tomaximize parking in a limited area, residents of the North Village in Westwood near UCLA have utilized the driveway apron of their residence for parking for many years. Recently, the City of Los Angeles was advised that it is a violation of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines to allow motor vehicles to park in the apron and impede passage for pedestrians. Moreover, the City of Los Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) does not currently permit residents to park in the driveway apron irrespective of whether or not the motor vehicle protrudes into the sidewalk or street.

The California Vehicle Code does allow local municipalities to create ordinances which allow motor vehicles to park in the driveway apron. Given that driveway aprons are of varying sizes, the City should explore amending the LAMC to allow driveway apron parking where such parking ensures adequate access for the disabled by not impeding the sidewalk or street.

I THERFORE MOVE that the Department of Transportation and the City Attorney report to the Transportation Committee on amendments to the municipal code to change the definition of apron parking to allow residents to park in the driveway apron in the North Village and other areas without impeding the sidewalk or street.

PRESENTED

BY:

JACK WEISS,

Councilmember, 5^th District

SECONDED BY: _ July 13, 2007

 

 

 

Jack Weiss Betrays Us - Join the Recall

Having not hears from Jack Weiss or any of his lieutenants, the news of yesterday stands – especially given that our babysitter (who also relies on the apron parking and is five months pregnant) talked to a parking enforcement officer who said they would be ticketing on August 1^st, but don’t want to.

 

I, for one, will be joining the Jack Weiss recall effort. 

 

http://www.recalljackweiss.com/  

http://recalljackweiss.blogspot.com/2007/05/recall-jack-weiss-blog-opened.html

 

I suggest in the next couple weeks you tune into the John and Ken Show as we are planning some amusing public events to highlight this. 

 

I’ll also be posting an incredibly racist interview with Jack Weiss on the Blog and at the appropriate moment be forwarding both the edited and unedited version of it to African American leaders in Los Angeles.  (I might wait until the Tennie Pierce thing heats up again). We’ve got two pretty good mailing lists. One from church and the other from Aristotle Industries. 

 

Jack Weiss has played Roulette with us. 

 

We’ve lost the parking fight… and he’s about to lose a career.

FW: Apron Parking

Evan,

 

I’m hoping this is inaccurate.

 

Flint

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Roxane Stern [mailto:roxane.stern@verizon.net]
Sent: Monday, July 09, 2007 10:19 AM
To: Roxane Stern
Subject: Apron Parking

 

This information is correct as of July 9, 2007 and it comes from Evan Gordon in Jack Weiss’s office

 

Apron parking ban will go into effect August 1

Notices will be placed on cars before enforcement begins

Weiss’s office is working on an alternative plan (whatever that is) for the village with the council and city attorney

 

Stay tuned….

 

Roxane Stern

11053 Strathmore Dr

LA CA 90024

310 443 1106

 

Parking Ban Lifted During Re-evaluation Period

Jack Weiss’ Office has come through again while they re-evaluate the parking situation. As Mike’s letter (several docs down) suggests, they saw through Professor Donald Shoup’s phony ADA argument.  So that we might remember, this argument is phony on two grounds:  1)  We do not block the sidewalks and agree that cars blocking the sidewalk (not allowing 3 feet for a wheelchair to pass) should be ticketed and 2) many of the sidewalks in the neighborhood are impassible for a variety of reasons including the steep angles of the hills and the poor condition of the sidewalks themselves.

 

Also, the argument that we’re violating federal laws by parking on the aprons is phony on its face given that San Francisco has legalized apron parking.  Let’s push forward and end this issue once and for all.  Apron Parking is a way of life in Westwood. It is not a perfect solution, but it serves the most people the best way and inconveniences others the least of all the alternatives. 

 

We are also going to pass around a petition asking UCLA not to invite Michael Dukakis back this winter. Not only has he made a great deal of trouble for all of us, students and neighbors alike, but his arrogance and ignorance are appalling. The Arrogance of ‘let them take the bus’ and the ignorance of ‘it will only affect 200 people…’  Now let’s see, if 200 people are filling the spaces on the street, how many people won’t be able to come and go during the course of the day, and that’s not even counting CARSCAM or FLEXSCAM or whatever it is called and the spaces it will take up. And we haven’t even begun talking about the numerous service people, gardeners, painters, mail people, delivery people, electricians, cable companies, etc. that routinely park on the aprons.

 

We also need to find out whether Shoup is tenured and what the cost of knowingly misrepresenting the facts to carry out a personal agenda can be.  This guy is bad news.  Somebody else wrote lots about that on the site.

 

Below are various bits of Flint’s correspondence with Beverly in Jack Weiss’ office for our records.

 

 

 

Thanks Beverly. 

 

To be honest your letter of December 18^th didn’t say anything about ticketing us in the Summer or any other time (see below). We thought it was a permanent arrangement, so we let down our guard believing the issue was over.

 

We knew that Dukakis and his lackeys, Alex Faye and Professor Shoup were busy causing mischief and spreading confusion, but we felt we had an agreement with you and Jack Weiss.  You might remember the note we sent, thanking you and also note that I managed to persuade John Kobylt to praise Jack on his radio show for doing the right thing.  We felt the issue was officially concluded.

 

We don’t know what Dukakis’ issue is, but CARFLEX is no solution for us. In fact, we smell a scam. We had a number of alternative suggestions which seem to have been ignored by Mr. Dukakis and his minions. 

 

We ignored Alex Faye’s phony organization (for a time, he acted like a sympathetic mole in our group so we quickly learned to distrust him) and are very curious about whether he works for the City Council and how and why he got the job and what capacity he has been acting in and when.

 

We don’t want a fight. We’re real people with real lives. Some of us are elderly. Some of us have health impairments. Some of us have children who have to be shuttled around. We are diverse in terms of age, income, gender, race and national origin. We are your neighbors all year round. We are not visiting dilettante meddlers, opportunistic students or ideological whackos.

 

We have no interest in being part of an urban planning experiment conducted by the disingenuous Professor Shoup and resent having our tax dollars used by treacherous characters  to complicate our lives, waste our time and damage our property values.  We all know that the ADA argument is phony (look at the legalization of apron parking in San Francisco).

 

Frankly, I think Dukakis has played all of us for chumps for God knows what financial or twisted psychological reason.  

 

As you have probably seen, I challenged Dukakis to a debate on the radio and he weaseled out of it (an article about it is linked on the Drudge Report right now).  He knows he wouldn’t stand up to scrutiny today on this issue any better than he stood up to it back in ’88.  It is hard to read his letter, or the so-called Dukakis Project Report and see anything other than the work of pompous, delusional would-be tyrants.

 

Frankly, we have no beef with Jack Weiss. We’re not part of the recall and you will notice that we’ve remained focused on Dukakis and our issue which admittedly is very small in the grand scheme of things, but very big to us.

 

Let us please put an end to this, today and drive these jerks back into their holes and let everybody proceed with their lives.

 

Thanks…

 

Flint

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Letter from December:

 

Thank you for contacting Councilmember Weiss regarding parking in the North Village.  Our office understands that there has been a shortage of parking in this area for many years, which has resulted in cars parking in the aprons of driveways and on the public right of way. 

 

Recently, the City was advised to comply with federal law requiring access for people with disabilities (ADA) and must enforce existing municipal codes that do not allow parking on sidewalks. 

 

Given the extreme shortage of parking, and acknowledging that the majority of residents in this area are UCLA students, Councilmember Weiss has asked to defer some of the ticketing.  This request for deferment would not include cars parked in the apron of a driveway encroaching onto the sidewalk or into the street beyond parked cars. Cars parked in this manner would be aggressively ticketed.  Sidewalks must not be blocked, and parked cars must not prevent the passage of emergency vehicles in the roadway.

 

In the meantime, Councilmember Weiss will continue to consult with the City Attorney and other City staff to seek future solutions to address the City’s legal responsibilities and the legitimate concerns of the residents in the North Village area.  Our office will also keep you posted on any developments in the next few weeks. 

 

If you have any questions, please call 310.289.0353.

 

 

Beverly A. Kenworthy

District Director & Planning Deputy

Council District 5

Councilmember Jack Weiss

822 S. Robertson Blvd.,  Ste. 102

Los Angeles, CA 90035

310.289.0353

310.289.0365 fax

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Beverly Kenworthy [mailto:Beverly.Kenworthy@lacity.org]
Sent: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 5:25 PM
To: Flint Dille
Cc: Evan Gordon; Fortuna Ippoliti
Subject: Re: FW: Ticketing starts on July 1!

 

Flint,

 

My colleague, Evan Gordon, is working on this issue.  I have copied him on this email.  The letter you are referring to was only an immediate measure and prevented the ticketing for the remainder of the school year.  Our office will continue to work with you and the students.  You can reach Evan at 310.289.0353.

 

Beverly

 

 

Beverly A. Kenworthy

Senior Planning Deputy

Council District Five

Temporary Contact Information

200 N. Spring Street, Rm 440

Los Angeles, CA 90012

(213) 473-7005 - phone

(213) 978-2250 - fax

 

CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE

PLEASE NOTE: This electronic mail message and any attachments hereto are intended solely for the review of the designated recipient(s) and originate from the office of Los Angeles City Councilmember Jack Weiss (the "Councilmember").  This message and any attachments may not be used, reviewed, copied, published, disseminated, redistributed, or forwarded without the express written permission of the Councilmember or his Chief of Staff.  The information in this electronic mail message and any attachments is confidential and may be privileged.  If you are not a designated recipient of this communication or if you have received this communication in error, please contact the sender by reply mail, then destroy any and all copies of this message and attachments and delete them from your system.  To learn more about Councilmember Jack Weiss and his district, visit  http://www.lacity.org/council/cd5/

 

>>> "Flint Dille" <flintdille@earthlink.net> 6/12/2007 8:01 AM >>>

Jack. Beverly,

 

 

 

Please give me your assurances that the following memo isn't true and that

you are living by your letter of last December saying that there will not be

ticketing unless we block the sidewalks or hang too far into the streets.

This plan, put forward by Mr. Dukakis, Professor Shoup and some ambitious

disciples will greatly hurt the lives and property values of many people in

all walks of life.  I have no idea what CARFLEX is, but it sounds like a

scam.

 

 

 

Believe me. If we get tickets. It will get very ugly for all of us. 

 

 

 

Very ugly. For all of us.

 

 

 

Flint Dille

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: Jean-Louis Rodrigue [mailto:jeanlouisr1@yahoo.com]

Sent: Tuesday, June 12, 2007 7:40 AM

To: flintdille@earthlink.net; terriedille@earthlink.net

Subject: Fw: Ticketing starts on July 1!

 

 

 

 

 

----- Original Message -----

 

From: Jean-Louis <mailto:jeanlouisr1@yahoo.com>  Rodrigue

 

To: emeyer@firstregional.com ; 'Rick <mailto:rdb1@polisci.ucla.edu>  Baum' ;

Susan Lieberman <mailto:susanlieberman@earthlink.net>  ;

flintdille@earthlink.net ; knorthpole@yahoo.com ; Charles

<mailto:jdube@mailstation.com>  Dubow ; lillhara@yahoo.com ; feelie@ucla.edu

 

 

Cc: Sina Bolour <mailto:sbolour@verizon.net>  (Verizon)

 

Sent: Monday, June 11, 2007 10:27 PM

 

Subject: Ticketing starts on July 1!

 

 

 

Dear Villa Campana Neighbors,

 

 

 

Kristof and I attended the  meeting regarding apron parking last Thursday.

 

The meeting was attended by roughly 30 people, mostly property owners and

 

renters in the area.  I believe 4 students were present.  This meeting was

 

 organized by Alex,  a UCLA graduate now working for the City council and

his

 

cronies from the famous class inspired by Dukakis.  A representative from

 

the Transportation Department was there to announce that they will enforce

 

the apron parking law starting JULY 1.   The alternatives they presented

were

 

the master brain child of this class project, mainly CARFLEX ( a rental

 

car service) and parking permits for residents (this process will take at

least 6

 

months to institute).  They did not have any immediate solutions.

 

 

 

In order to get the parking permits instituted, we need to petition with

signatures

 

for at least six blocks.  This is a slow process but a  possibility in the

long run.

 

For now we are stuck with a parking nightmare for us and our friends and

visitors.

 

 

 

Weiss is completely out of the picture since he is not up for re-election.

 

 

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Jean-Louis and Kristof

 

 

 

 

 

Jean-Louis Rodrigue

AlexanderTech Works

PO Box 3194

Beverly Hills, CA 90212

310-209-9023

310-443-4483 fax

jeanlouisr1@yahoo.com

www.alexandertechworks.com

 

 

--

No virus found in this incoming message.

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Sh*t Happens, Shoup is Caused

Sh*t Happens, Shoup is Caused
Nick Roberts

After the essay, 'A Pile of Shoup' appeared on this site, a number of people asked why the word 'shoup' had to be added to the language when we already had the word 'sh*t.'

In short, to 'shoup' (rhymes with 'poop') a problem is to create a solution that is far worse than the initial problem while causing the maximum expense and inconvenience for taxpayers and victims (not necessarily separate classes).

Also, a 'shouped up' solution to a problem leaves such chaos that more 'shouping' is required and thus the cycle is perpetuated. For example, LAX is a 'shouped-up' environment, having so many 'shoupings' that it is virtually unusable, thus creating business for Burbank and Long Beach which, themselves are in the process of being 'shouped'.

The word 'shoup' comes from Dr. Donald Shoup (rhymes with poop), Professor at UCLA, self-appointed Parking Guru and author of the, scintillating "The High Cost of Free Parking." Among other things, Shoup appears to be on a crusade to vitiate the Southern California Lifestyle for reasons best explained by a psychoanalyst and an accountant and outside the scope of this article. His most recent holy war is parking in Westwood. (For more info on his M.O., see, "'Guru cant' convince the critics at meeting" posted on this site).

The physical manifestation of his assault on the North Village of Westwood is The Dukakis Project , of course funded by tax dollars and made available in Xerox copies at a Fayek meeting (see article on site). We do not have a digital copy.

Once you strip through the misleading academic 'bullshoop' (pictures, tables, disingenuous legal arguments, etc), Shoup's vision is pretty simple: Make it so miserable for people to live in their neighborhoods that they will either have to move out (there might be a land grab in all this) or have to live the way Shoup thinks they should live.

To get the vibe here, we suspect he is also the author of Michael Dukakis' Marie Antoinette-esque Westwood Battle Cry, "Let them take the bus." (See - L.A. Times: Dukakis Wins One In Westwood.).

In order to fully illustrate potential uses of our new word, we've come up with some examples of how things could be shouped…

• As he' a professor at UCLA, let's start there.
o PROBLEM: Everybody knows that there aren't enough tickets to UCLA games, especially since they beat USC last year and what tickets are available are not affordable.
o PROBABLE SHOUP SOLUTION: Make UCLA a really bad team, therefore lowering demand for tickets. Heavily tax tickets that are sold to parents of players and those still wanting to go.
• If Shoup were to take on music piracy.
o PROBLEM: Some people are illegally downloading music.
o PROBABLE SHOUP SOLUION: Make music so bad ('shoupy') that nobody would want to download it, therefore reducing the risk of piracy. Charge a hefty 'fee' for music which is still downloaded.

• We could come up with these all day. As a matter of fact, we'll happily print any ideas you have for how to 'shoup things up' on our chaotic but amusing blogsite. http://westwoodparking.blogspot.com/

The bottom line is that it is no small wonder that 'shouping' hasn't taken off in the private sector and he's a professor at a public university where, it seems that coercion is preferable to persuasion.

All jokes aside, right now, the Los Angeles City Council is deciding whether to 'shoup on us' by making sure there are less parking spaces in an already overcrowded situation. In this case, the word 'shoup' means to make a miserable situation more miserable.

It could be argued by some that the word 'shoup' is not necessary, because we already have the word 'sh*t', but I maintain there is an important difference between the two:

S**t happens. Shoup is caused.

Time to cut this Bullshoup out before a lot of people… Seniors… Children… handicapped… vendors… friends… neighbors and other innocents are hurt and any more time or money is wasted.

With a battle-cry of "Let Them Take the Bus" Dukakis Leads Assault on Westwood

 

Dukakis at War in Westwood

Today Apron Parking � Tomorrow the World

 

�Let Them Take The Bus!!!�

 

Michael Dukakis, the would-be leader of the Free World and Commander in Chief of the US military (insert tank photo) in 1988, is surging his forces in what might be his career-defining political fight.  The ex-Democratic nominee for president has commanded political cronies, university faculty and his UCLA students with a battle cry of �let them take the bus� he has declared war on� �apron parking�. 

 

Apron Parking is the term used when a car is parked in a driveway between the street and the sidewalk (not blocking the sidewalk for wheelchair reason). Local residents say ticketing apron parkers will take a bad parking situation even worse. Dukakis doesn�t care.  The neighborhood around UCLA, the North Village, has about 850 curb spaces and about 5,700 vehicles belonging to residents. Apron parking has been the norm in battle zone North Village Westwood, California for over 50 years.

 

But Dukakis says it has to end now.  He finds aesthetically offensive.  More specifically, according to some reports, his wife Kitty, finds it offensive.

 

The Dukakis Project, as it has been called, was architected by a Professor Shoup of UCLA is apparently a first step towards making driving and parking so onerous in Los Angeles that people will abandon their cars for the Public Bus system. For now, in Westwood, there is only one solution � �FLEXCARS.�  None of the residents interviewed understood how this concept works, but the Dukakis/Shoup team believes that once everybody is receiving $60 tickets, they�ll figure it out pretty quickly.

 

Dukakis, who lectures at UCLA half the year, launched a Winter Offensive, three years ago. His first strike was devastatingly successful. He took the enemy fully by surprise, when it is believed that he contacted his ally CHIEF BRATTON of the LAPD (who worked with him in Boston). Unfortunately, defecting LAPD officers, erroneously feeling that they had better things to do than hand out apron parking tickets, tipped off residents. The residents rose up and a truce was called. 

 

Last year, Dukakis struck again.  Now, he was rebuffed by a meter maid (see article).  But he wasn�t done. Armed with The Dukakis Project and a report by Professor Shoup, he feels certain of victory. Shoup thinks he has found a loophole in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which finds that Apron Parking is against Federal and State Law.  Unfortunately, detractors point out that San Francisco has recently voted to allow apron parking.  Dukakis loyalists might have to take their fight up north to that right wing bastion � the San Francisco City Council.

 

In the meantime, in the interest of promoting the Citizens with Disabilities Act senior citizens living in the neighborhood will have to climb tall hills after parking their cars in inconvenient areas.  �I�ve never seen a wheelchair come up these streets� Unless it were the monster truck of wheelchairs it would never make it.  Couldn�t make it through the busted up sidewalks.�   

 

Flint Dille, one of the residents miffed about Dukakis' meddling with the existing parking system, challenged Dukakis to a debate on the �John and Ken Show� a popular drive time show in Los Angeles, but Dukakis refused saying, �the debate is over.�  Curiously, neither Dille nor any of the other residents remember having a debate or even meeting Dukakis�  �Perhaps he doesn�t think the John and Ken show is big time enough for him.  Giuliani, another Bratton colleague seems to think the show is big time enough�  Then again, this is The Michael Dukakis.� 

 

Dille muses: �Still, I can�t believe he�s afraid to debate me. I�ve never run for office, never publicly debated. He�d mop the floor with me and I know it. I just want the little guy to have a voice.�

 

One idea for replacing the debate would be holding a live event in which contestants tried to push wheelchairs loaded with bags of manure, labeled with Shoup and Dukakis� names on them up the hill.

 

Recently, the Ghost of political strategist Lee Atwater appeared and was quoted as saying:  �It seems that Michael Dukakis wants to do for Westwood what he did for Boston Harbor.�

 

 

 

 

  (see L.A. Times Article �Dukakis Wins One In Westwood� (actually a premature title because he hasn�t won yet � that was October and he�s still fighting in June)).

 

 

 

Linked to the Drudge Report

 

 

http://hillaryspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=OTJlMTZmNjIyMjUzYTRmOWNhMDg5NjUwNDMzYjMxNDM =

 

SOMETHING LIGHTER

Election Winners Declare War on Countries; Election Losers Declare War on Loose Parking Laws

From the "where are they now" department...

Michael Dukakis, the former governor of Massachusetts who Democrats nominated to lead the free world in 1988, is now a part-time professor at UCLA. In his new semi-hometown and position, Dukakis has declared war on... apron parking.

That's the term used when a car is parked in a driveway between the street and the sidewalk. Local residents say ticketing apron parkers will take a bad parking situation even worse. The neighborhood around UCLA, the North Village, has about 850 curb spaces and about 5,700 vehicles belonging to residents.

Opponents of Dukakis' scheme to ticket apron parkers gather here... Flint Dille, (flintdille@earthlink.net) one of the residents miffed about Dukakis' meddling with the existing parking system, has challenged Dukakis to a debate on the John and Ken Show on KFI and I've just been told Dukakis declined the invitation.

My guess is Dille wanted a chance to re-use President Bush's line, "that last answer was about as clear as Boston Harbor."

06/14 01:01 PM

 

 

 

flintdille@earthlink.net

EarthLink Revolves Around You.

 

No More Fayek Solutions

It should be obvious to everybody by now that Cashflex or Flexcon or whatever it is called, is no solution to our parking problems.  It wasn’t really intended to be. Rather, it’s a typical ‘Shoupy’ (s**ty) idea that makes the problem worse and makes money for the city and… and… (frankly we don’t know who else… Which is what makes us suspicious.)

 

While there will be plenty of time to explore the motives of those behind ‘The Dukakis Project’ and recommend appropriate actions to UCLA and The City, it is time to get past the Fayek Solution (Fayek is another new word for the lexicon meaning phony organization or solution to a problem designed to ram through an agenda) for us to put real solutions on the table…

 

… Solutions that allow everybody, students, residents, the city to come out of this better than when we went into it.

 

Ping ideas… old and new to the mailing list and website and we’ll begin posting them for our July meeting. 

Ticketing Delayed One Month

Ticketing Delayed One Month

 

See below.  It seems that Evan Gordon in Jack Weiss’ office got a whiff of this Dukakis Project, CARFLOP (rhymes with Cowflop) and decided that we need a better solution. He told Michael that they will not be ticketing on July 1, 2007.  Meanwhile, it is time for us to get in gear and finally end this problem.  We should propose the solutions we have (not the phony ones from the Faye/Dukakis/Shoup quadrant.  We need to put together our various petitions.  I’m thinking mid-month at VC.

A pile of Shoup.

A Pile of Shoup

 

In case anybody is wondering whether Professor Shoup, the parking guru, is a whacko (at best), take a look at the following.  Not only does a surfer end up thinking this guy has big shoes and orange hair, but a local businesswoman seems to suspect that he’s kind of a scam to mess up local parking AND fill city coffers.  In fact, it might be that city councils hire Shoup to do studies that allow them to justify raising parking fees.

 

'Guru' can't convince the critics at meeting

By Chet Barfield

STAFF WRITER

March 22, 2007

LA JOLLA – An expert they call “the parking guru” came to La Jolla last night with an impressive multimedia presentation based on his book, “The High Cost of Free Parking.”

But despite all his charts, figures and case studies of what other cities have done, UCLA professor Donald Shoup couldn't convince many of the skeptics in the crowd that charging for parking at La Jolla's beaches and businesses is the way to go.

“Housing is wildly expensive in La Jolla but it's rent-free for cars. I think you've got it the wrong way,” Shoup told an audience of more than 100 at the La Jolla Museum of Contemporary Art.

The nationally recognized parking expert spoke at the invitation of the La Jolla Community Parking District Advisory Board, a nine-member panel that has been heavily influenced by his research.

The board this month began circulating a draft “parking management plan” that proposes creating more turnover of spaces by charging for parking at La Jolla Cove, La Jolla Shores, the Prospect Street retail village and the Bird Rock business zone along La Jolla Boulevard.

To deter spillover parking into surrounding neighborhoods, the plan proposes setting time limits there and having residents buy permits.

The draft proposal, expected to be debated for months, is drawing plenty of opposition. If the plan is approved, La Jolla would become the first San Diego community to charge for coastal parking.

Shoup said the main problem in areas such as La Jolla is people circling the blocks looking for free spaces while paid parking is available in garages and lots.

“When a car pulls out of one of the diagonal spots on Prospect Street, often the very next car pulls in,” he said. “A lot of the (drivers) that you see on the streets aren't going anywhere. They've already arrived, and they're looking for a place to park.”

He said an optimum 15 percent vacancy rate could be achieved through new high-tech pay stations with rates that could fluctuate up or down, depending on demand.

After his 45-minute presentation, Shoup had time to answer only eight of the dozens of questions submitted on index cards and drawn from a fishbowl by a parking board member.

One was from surfer Ken David, who asked about restricting public beach access. (Shoup's answer: More turnover means more access for more people.)

“I just think this will have a negative, limiting affect,” David said afterward. “I don't think I can bring my surfboard on the bus.”

Also not convinced was Gina Phillips, a La Jolla native who employs 48 workers in her Girard Avenue florist shop.

“The only way this is going to work is if the (parking) money stays in La Jolla” rather than feeding San Diego's coffers, she said. “I just think it needs to be looked into a lot more.”