Clark Kent, We Need You!

Last week, one of the biggest scandals surrounding our increasingly incompetent mayor broke. It appears that he owes nearly $240,000 in back federal income taxes, and a lien has been placed on his personal property. By all accounts, this is a last resort by the IRS, and it means that the problem has been going on for years, and that numerous notices were sent to him, which presumably were ignored. How did this come to light? I’m sure Bob Gammon would love to take credit. But in reality, it was Charles Pine, public safety advocate and activist, and my predecessor in suing the City over Measure Y abuses. Apparently he happened to be at the County Recorder’s office and on a lark, checked the records, and lo and behold - scoop of the year! Which makes me wonder - why does it take gadflies like Pine to get the information we citizens need in order to police our own government?

Students of 18th century western civilization may recall the quote of British politician Edmund Burke, referring to the press gallery, “Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.” Without an effective Fourth Estate, public and private power cannot be held accountable. Of course, litigation can be effective, but it is a slow and expensive process. A well researched and well timed piece of investigative journalism can accomplish desired goals (like removing corrupt or inept politicians from office) way quicker and more effectively.

But where are our local investigative reporters? Where are the hard questions? Where is the real analysis? Where are the biting editorials? Is the local media so concerned about maintaining its political correctness, and perhaps offending readers, that it has forgotten its obligation to society as a whole? The issues raised in my lawsuit highlighted fundamental questions about our elected officials’ integrity and commitment to the law, about competence, and about accountability. My lawsuit involved, and still does involve, tens of millions of dollars - far more than the infamous “Negotiated Settlement Agreement.” And yet, the press coverage has not been what it should have been. Now, of course, I’m sure every activist trying to promote his or her cause may complain about the same thing, but I found the coverage positively anemic. The questions that most reporters asked me were pretty lame, if they bothered to even call me at all. Some of the issues involved are kind of complicated, but so what? You think analyzing the health care reform bills is easy? All the more reason the media should analyze the issues more carefully, to come up with more incisive questions, so that we are all better informed.

Our current mayor bungles an officer’s name at a funeral. Subsequently, officers killed in the line of duty specifically ask that Dellums not speak at their funerals. He can’t manage to drive himself to work. He refuses to make his calendars public, and when he finally does, they reveal he is frequently unaccounted for. In his over two years as mayor, he has apparently accomplished nothing, other than preside over one of the biggest budget disasters in history. His wife sticks to him like glue and intimidates and alienates his detractors. His answer to sideshows: make them legal. And now this - he’s up to his eyeballs in debt, and appears not to open his mail, or understand it. And the only person publicly connecting the dots - Charlie Pine! (www.orpn.org). Okay, so whether the mayor has dementia is a sensitive subject. But if he can’t function, shouldn’t the press be looking into this? Or somebody?

Our local newspapers complain about declining circulation and depressing revenues. But here the emperor is marching down the street naked, the little boy is saying, "the emperor is wearing no clothes," and it doesn't even make page five! If the papers aren't doing their job, why should we pay for them? Go dig for the real news like you used to, deliver us a quality product, with critical analysis, not just parroting of press releases, and maybe we’d be willing shell out a few more sheckels. Remember, without Clark Kent, there can be no Superman.