LOS ANGELES CITY HALL IS A BIG BLACK HOLE
The Society of Professional Journalists , of which I am a proud member, has an annual Black Hole Award to "highlight the most heinous violations of the public's right to know." Timely, as I've been meaning to revisit the battle I fought last year with then-City Council District 4 representative Tom LaBonge, his obscured 501c3 [supposedly non-profit] organization Sister Cities, and what felt like all of Los Angeles City Hall. Some of it emerged earlier this month when a citizen lawsuit pushed the city attorney's office to go hunting for documents that disappeared from LaBonge's office, and the contents of the shredder- and incinerator-bound file boxes suggest illegal behavior including campaigning from sitting office. The Los Angeles Times later obtained emails showing willful refusal of my document requests around Sister Cities. My nomination is a bit scattershot, as I learned of the award and the impending deadline last minute. I rushed through, but yo