 Ed Garren on one of his visits home in February. He’s since been back and forth across the country several times in his RV, reporting to us on his travels. By Ryan Gierach. |
It's started, accusations back and forth about Abbe and Mike, supporters and detractors lining up to cheer their champions on to victory.
It's the messy stuff of politics, and it's never pretty.
John, John and Abbe continue to forget that the city was created to protect the residents from greed. I repeat: The city was created to protect residents from greed. The three of them hide behind the Costa Hawkins and Ellis acts, claiming their hands are tied, but they accept campaign contributions from developers who make people homeless.
Their ongoing breach of this solemn trust is disgraceful beyond expression. Abbe's feeble attempts to paint her opponent in a negative light, her "he did it too" misses the mark. Los Angeles was not founded on rent control or tenants rights, West Hollywood was.
I wrote an open letter to Ms. Land, which was published in the West Hollywood News on April 27, 2006 entitled "On The Road W/Ed: Dear Abbe."
 Then-Mayor Land speaking on a panel about Human Trafficking and Slavery in late 2005 at the National Council of Jewish Women, Los Angeles (NCJWLA). By Ryan Gierach. |
To summarize that letter, my thoughts were, "You've lied to me, you've sold out residents and tenants you had made (at least implied) promises to, your determination to support John Heilman's vision of a West Hollywood of high rise condos has destroyed your ability to respond to the increasing number of residents who oppose it, you only returned to council so you could run for Assembly."
As I write this, I am watching "Ghandi", and am reminded by his quote, one which underpins the work of every activist for justice, "You must be prepared to make the injustice visible."
Ed Buck has simply put up a web site of Abbe's public record, her contributor list, her city calendar and correlated some of it to the City Council meeting agendas and Abbe's votes. Some try to spread gossip about Ed, who I have known as a friend for over 15 years. He gives most of his time as a volunteer for Golden Retriever Rescue, saving dogs from the pound, finding them new homes. I suspect his outrage is similar to mine, those entrusted to protect the city from greed, have sold out to it. In 1992 my father died and Ed loaned me a dog crate so I could fly my dog with me back east for the funeral.
 Ed Buck, protesting against over-development. By Ryan Gierach. |
As for "Mud Slinging", West Hollywood has always been awash in mud. There are clear "in" groups, "out" groups, and people who circulate between the two. I could say a lot about the mud that was slung at me when I ran for City Council in 04-05, the whispering campaign about my competence; it was really awful stuff. I even heard it from someone I was dating, who heard it around town. So no one has clean hands at city hall when it comes to mud.
Now that I have some distance from all of the "groups" in town, I hear a lot of stuff. It seems that my therapist hat is working overtime, even on the road.
Here's what I can figure out from all that I hear, and have heard for over two years. Some of it is a bit vague because I can't name names. One has to protect sources, particularly since they still live so close to the beast.
There are basically two camps in West Hollywood. One is the "Fresh Concrete" crowd, of which Abbe, John and John appear to be at the center. They have too many developer "friends" and appear to have no interest in responding to anyone else. They have banished anyone who opposes them, and left us with little recourse in civic life except constant vigilance and protest in two minute sound bytes the first twenty minutes of city council meetings.
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The other crowd, which I call the "Enough is Enough" crowd, are fed up and disgusted with watching the city turn into a congested nightmare. I fall into that crowd, so I'll use "we". We say the city is already the most dense place in the region, we don't need any more market rate housing, we need to stop demolishing the affordable (older) housing that we have and keep the city from turning into a "Wilshire Corridor East" of high rise buildings that block the sun and will create gridlock. Our treasured "Mom & Pop" businesses, which make up the soul and spirit of our city are being erased and replaced with large corporate businesses filled with employees who have no stake in the life of our city.
 State Senator Sheila Kuehl. By Ryan Gierach. |
I have looked over both candidates list of supporters. In Abbe's case it is the extended political family of the John, John and Abbe show at city hall. I particularly noted Sheila Kuehl's letter in Abbe's current reply to the so-called "hit" piece from Mike's campaign. I respect Sheila's intelligence and good work in Sacramento, but she does not live in West Hollywood and is not aware of the issues going on here. I'm sure what she does hear is from her long time friend John Duran, so it is biased. I'm sure John pulled the Equality California endorsement out of the hat for Abbe too because of his long time association with that group.
What I suspect is that if the sort of development that Abbe has encouraged in the city was occurring in Sheila's neighborhood (Sunset Park section of the City of Santa Monica) she would be in an uproar over it. What I also suspect is that most of Abbe's out of West Hollywood endorsements come from people who are completely ignorant of her record on renters rights and tenant protection in the city. In that regard, she has utterly failed the people the city was created to protect and all the "progressive rhetoric" and endorsements from political buddies won't help the people who got displaced, at least three of whom died shortly after they received their eviction notices.
If Abbe and her friends, like Sheila, really cared about tenants, why didn't they try to get either Ellis or Costa Hawkins amended, or repealed in the last two years. The truth is, they don't care. If they did, they would try to stop what's going on in the city, where fear of eviction stalks the streets and no one feels safe in their apartments anymore.
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As someone who worked to create the city this breech of trust profoundly angers me.
Don't believe all those City Commissioners and Advisory Board people who endorsed her either. All of those boards have been purged of anyone who opposes the John, John and Abbe agenda. Anyone who opposes her will be fired from those posts. That's how the city is run now.
 Sitting State Assembly member Paul Koretz endorsed Abbe Land’s opponent to replace him. He cited his experience governing with her on the council. By Ryan Gierach. |
What should be made very clear is that this so called "hit" may have been printed by Mike's campaign, but the complaints and disappointment over Abbe's performance have been loud and clear in the City of West Hollywood for over two years. The actual words, and expression of disgust are from residents that she has failed, that she has sold out, that she has patronized while evicting them in the name of "more housing." The list of folks who oppose Abbe would be much larger but most have died or moved away.
A lot of people who still live in West Hollywood and know Abbe's record are NOT supporting her, including Paul Koretz, the leadership of the 42nd Assembly District Democratic Committee, former Council Member Steve Martin and a host of others.
Abbe is right, she has done nothing illegal (having two lawyers for friends, John and John, helps), but her performance IS a painful disappointment from someone who purports to work tirelessly on behalf of those less fortunate. It is a sad state of affairs that "Buying Government" is regarded as "business as usual" in the law all over this country, including West Hollywood.
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Lastly I need to say that at least one of the major Democratic organizations in the area endorsed Abbe because they believe, "She can do less damage in Sacramento" (quote from two officers of that organization). The endorsements were given simply out of political expediency, if she wins she leaves, if she looses and we're stuck with her, but she won't be mad at us and exercise the usual vindictive treatment that is reserved for anyone who opposes John, John and Abbe in the city.
Also, if Abbe does win the Assembly seat, I understand that a deal has been cut for Abbe to resign from council if she wins and they will then appoint Eric Thompson.
If you want to send Stalin to Sacramento, vote for Abbe. If you speak out against her or her friends, start packing for Siberia, your days are numbered.
As for me, I never could play the "political game" at the expense of my own integrity. I'm not voting for Abbe, either for Assembly, or for re-election to City Council.
I suggest you research the issues (particularly her voting record compared to her list of contributors), and make an informed decision. www.abbeyland.com
Regards, Ed Garren, MFT, Council Candidate, 2005
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Edward "Ed" Garren, MFT, is a Family Therapist, justice activist, former West Hollywood City Council candidate, writer and sojourner. He is originally from the Tampa Bay area of central Florida. Ed has been published in the Los Angeles Times, Frontiers news magazine, and other books, including "Out of My Mind,” a pictorial memoir by Kris Nelson. He is currently working on a book about Addiction in America.
Ed Garren can be reached, even in the Red America’s wilds, at