1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,200 Speaker 1: Can't find AM six forty. You're listening to the John 2 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:08,480 Speaker 1: Cobel podcast on the iHeartRadio app. It's John's birthday today. 3 00:00:08,880 --> 00:00:11,920 Speaker 1: That's where you realize how fast life is gone. Thank 4 00:00:11,960 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: you for your birthday cupcakes and Ray and Eric, thank 5 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: you for the birthday cake. Happy birthday. Thank you. I'm 6 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:20,639 Speaker 1: actually here. I'm stuffed because I had a chunk of 7 00:00:20,640 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: the cake and I had one of the cupcakes. And 8 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: we have some pictures on social media. Yeah, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, 9 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,240 Speaker 1: Deborah and I have our one hundred and twenty third 10 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: vegan debate. You might want to go watch that. You're 11 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:35,880 Speaker 1: not second radio at John Cobelt Radio, on Instagram and 12 00:00:36,760 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: everywhere else. All right, let's get Jamie Page on. These 13 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,280 Speaker 1: are two interesting stories. Westside Current dot com a good 14 00:00:46,360 --> 00:00:49,080 Speaker 1: local news site, are on the West side of LA, 15 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: but it actually reverberates all over southern California with the 16 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: issues they cover, the incidents they cover. First thing we're 17 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: going to talk to Jamie about. Let's get her on. 18 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:03,720 Speaker 1: How are you? I'm goodo oh, thank you very much so. 19 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:07,200 Speaker 1: The lawsuit that we've been discussing for weeks now. This 20 00:01:07,280 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: is a group of citizens and businesses called La Alliance 21 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:14,120 Speaker 1: for Human Rights, and they've been after the city of 22 00:01:14,160 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 1: Los Angeles for at least five years to get the 23 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:19,759 Speaker 1: homeless people finally off the streets and into some kind 24 00:01:19,800 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 1: of shelter. And the city never lives up to its promises. 25 00:01:23,280 --> 00:01:26,399 Speaker 1: There's been two settlements. The city has violated both settlements, 26 00:01:26,680 --> 00:01:28,919 Speaker 1: and now the federal judge in the case, David Carter, 27 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 1: has held a trial and he's going to decide whether 28 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:36,319 Speaker 1: to turn over the homeless bureaucracy here in La to 29 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: an outside receiver. Where are we with this? 30 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:44,040 Speaker 2: Yesterday was the final day that the legal filings could 31 00:01:44,080 --> 00:01:47,480 Speaker 2: be submitted for this case, and then Judge Carter will 32 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:49,640 Speaker 2: be looking over the filings, and of course we had 33 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:53,200 Speaker 2: that evidentiary hearing leading up to this in early June, 34 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 2: and then he will make his decision on the receivership. 35 00:01:58,120 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 3: I do want to say, though, we shouldn't. 36 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:02,600 Speaker 2: Get our whole up, because it was very clear during 37 00:02:02,680 --> 00:02:06,120 Speaker 2: those hearings that, however the judge decides, well, I should say, 38 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:10,200 Speaker 2: if the judge decides for receivership, they're going to appeal 39 00:02:10,240 --> 00:02:13,120 Speaker 2: that to the Ninth Circuit, right, So. 40 00:02:13,080 --> 00:02:15,480 Speaker 1: It's going to go through the whole appeals court process 41 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,799 Speaker 1: here in California, it will Actually it's a federal judge, right, 42 00:02:18,880 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: so it would go, yeah, ninth Circuit, the ninth Circuit. Okay, 43 00:02:23,400 --> 00:02:27,960 Speaker 1: well he I mean, I mean he authorized this audit 44 00:02:28,880 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: that a company called Alvarez and Marsal did, and he 45 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: has accepted the findings of the audit that the city 46 00:02:36,480 --> 00:02:40,000 Speaker 1: failed to track billions of dollars in homelessness over a 47 00:02:40,000 --> 00:02:42,080 Speaker 1: five year period and they don't know where a lot 48 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: of the money has gone. That is that the really 49 00:02:45,960 --> 00:02:48,320 Speaker 1: the beginning and end of the case here is they 50 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:53,280 Speaker 1: They never really defended themselves or explain this, did they, Well, the. 51 00:02:53,040 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 2: Audit was because the city kept not living up to 52 00:02:57,639 --> 00:03:02,079 Speaker 2: the settlement agreements and so fine, and he was frustrated 53 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:04,359 Speaker 2: with that because they were suppot to hit a milestone 54 00:03:04,440 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 2: they didn't. They had an excuse, they as in the city. 55 00:03:07,360 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 2: So finally the judge said, okay, let's audit this. This 56 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:12,360 Speaker 2: is what the La Alliance has been asking for, and 57 00:03:12,400 --> 00:03:13,640 Speaker 2: now I'm going to grant it. 58 00:03:15,960 --> 00:03:19,640 Speaker 1: But have they explained it all where the billions of 59 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,200 Speaker 1: dollars went? Did they say, oh, okay, we found it, 60 00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:25,560 Speaker 1: We've discovered the paperwork. I was in a computer file. 61 00:03:26,320 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: As far as I know, they never presented where the 62 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: money went after all this. In fact, they hired eleven 63 00:03:30,960 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: lawyers to make sure Karen Bass didn't have to testify 64 00:03:33,240 --> 00:03:34,639 Speaker 1: and answer any questions about it. 65 00:03:35,680 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 2: I was just going to say that not only can 66 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 2: we not find that billion dollars, we spent another million 67 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:45,400 Speaker 2: defending the fact that we can't find the billion dollars, 68 00:03:45,720 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 2: which is how the city seems to be operating and 69 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:53,520 Speaker 2: running these days. Yes, no, there's no accountability and it 70 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 2: was brought up over and over again during the hearings. 71 00:03:57,680 --> 00:04:00,920 Speaker 2: Matt Zevos was on the stand for four days and 72 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:06,120 Speaker 2: we went through a lot of contracts and receipts, and 73 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 2: I mean he testified over and over again that. 74 00:04:10,560 --> 00:04:13,760 Speaker 3: The city trailed failed to track the money. 75 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,640 Speaker 1: And did anyone offer why they didn't track the money? 76 00:04:18,640 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: I mean, I had my theories, but what were what 77 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: were what was their reason? 78 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,480 Speaker 2: So there wasn't a reason, although I judge Carter did 79 00:04:26,520 --> 00:04:31,279 Speaker 2: ask over and over again that how and why and 80 00:04:31,800 --> 00:04:34,159 Speaker 2: has the city gone after that money? A lot of 81 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,640 Speaker 2: these are unpaid contracts or receipts we don't have, so 82 00:04:38,720 --> 00:04:40,920 Speaker 2: we asked them. You know, when I when I can't 83 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:42,840 Speaker 2: find something, I look for it. Have you, as a 84 00:04:42,920 --> 00:04:47,040 Speaker 2: city looked for this? No answer was given under oath, 85 00:04:47,200 --> 00:04:51,359 Speaker 2: but good questions from the judge about something that seems 86 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 2: very common sense. 87 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:55,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, he seems very smart and down to earth on 88 00:04:55,960 --> 00:05:01,760 Speaker 1: this uh and asking the obvious questions and not getting 89 00:05:01,800 --> 00:05:04,280 Speaker 1: the answers. It also seems like he was getting impatient 90 00:05:04,279 --> 00:05:07,280 Speaker 1: with the whole mess. 91 00:05:06,160 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 3: Very impatient. 92 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:08,680 Speaker 2: That's exactly what I was going to say, is it 93 00:05:08,720 --> 00:05:12,000 Speaker 2: felt like he was at a point and he was 94 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,400 Speaker 2: not during this evidentiary hearing because it was very obvious 95 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,440 Speaker 2: again that the city was going to appeal. There was 96 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 2: over two thousand objections within the week and a half 97 00:05:21,400 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 2: time of this trial. I mean there were every time 98 00:05:24,480 --> 00:05:27,360 Speaker 2: a question was asked, there was an objection. I think 99 00:05:27,480 --> 00:05:30,800 Speaker 2: one day there was we counted three hundred objections by 100 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:32,479 Speaker 2: the city's attorneys. 101 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: And most overruled. 102 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:34,760 Speaker 2: Yes. 103 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 3: Yes. 104 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 2: It came to the point where I think the people 105 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 2: who were listening and in the audience were also saying, overworld, 106 00:05:46,120 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 2: under our. 107 00:05:46,440 --> 00:05:50,800 Speaker 1: Abrupt can you possibly follow a conversation when one side 108 00:05:50,839 --> 00:05:53,840 Speaker 1: is objecting three hundred times? I mean, I mean, I 109 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: don't understand why that's permitted where where you where a 110 00:05:58,279 --> 00:06:00,840 Speaker 1: judge will just say, okay, you're abusing the process here, 111 00:06:01,160 --> 00:06:02,039 Speaker 1: this is excessive. 112 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 2: I don't have an answer for that, although I do 113 00:06:05,560 --> 00:06:07,080 Speaker 2: have to say I wouldn't. I had to go back 114 00:06:07,160 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 2: and read the transcripts just to wrap my head around 115 00:06:10,839 --> 00:06:15,279 Speaker 2: what was happening throughout the process. Again, because as I 116 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,599 Speaker 2: don't know if you've saddened these, but there's an objection, 117 00:06:17,720 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 2: then we go back and forth and figure out and 118 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 2: he sometimes would consult about whether he could overrule, so 119 00:06:24,720 --> 00:06:27,320 Speaker 2: there was a lot of down time figuring that out. 120 00:06:27,560 --> 00:06:29,479 Speaker 1: He was the only he's the only one judging this. 121 00:06:29,640 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: I mean, there's no jury, so there's no jury, right, 122 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,200 Speaker 1: there's no jurors getting hopelessly confused because they don't have 123 00:06:37,560 --> 00:06:39,880 Speaker 1: any background in how the law works and what the 124 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,520 Speaker 1: legal procedures are. It's just him and I think he's 125 00:06:42,839 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: around eighty years old, isn't he, So I'm assuming he 126 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 1: is seen and heard at all by now. 127 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 2: He has And I was just making that point because 128 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,920 Speaker 2: those of us were trying to follow the case. I mean, 129 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:56,240 Speaker 2: that's our job, right to make sure that we get 130 00:06:56,240 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 2: the facts right. And I should say that they the 131 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 2: lawyers were dragging this out on taxpayer dimes. We're talking 132 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,719 Speaker 2: about nine attorneys twelve hundred dollars an hour. 133 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:08,480 Speaker 3: I believe there's a. 134 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 2: Million dollar cap or nine hundred thousand. 135 00:07:10,480 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 3: Still, that's our money in that. 136 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: Front, right, is the our money. That's an outside law firm. 137 00:07:14,840 --> 00:07:17,000 Speaker 1: And then Bass had a couple of city attorneys there 138 00:07:17,040 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 1: as well. So there's at least eleven attorneys. And it 139 00:07:20,600 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: seems primarily just to follow up the case so that 140 00:07:25,600 --> 00:07:28,120 Speaker 1: the judge can't understand what the testimony is and that 141 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:30,160 Speaker 1: Karen Bass never has to sit there and tell the 142 00:07:30,160 --> 00:07:32,800 Speaker 1: truth under oath. I guess that's what you need to 143 00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:34,920 Speaker 1: need eleven of them. 144 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 2: It was a very long process, very long process. 145 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:43,720 Speaker 1: Yes, so he could issue a decision anytime between now 146 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:44,560 Speaker 1: and the end of June. 147 00:07:45,480 --> 00:07:46,280 Speaker 3: That's what we've heard. 148 00:07:46,560 --> 00:07:48,680 Speaker 2: I talked to LA Alliance yesterday and that was the 149 00:07:48,720 --> 00:07:50,920 Speaker 2: time frame that they gave me. They think in a 150 00:07:50,960 --> 00:07:52,720 Speaker 2: couple of weeks time we should hear something. 151 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:55,000 Speaker 1: How are they feeling about how they were able to 152 00:07:55,000 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: present the case and the way the judge treated their arguments. 153 00:08:01,640 --> 00:08:05,200 Speaker 2: Again, the judge didn't treat it anyway there during this 154 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:08,920 Speaker 2: last hearing, although he did get frustrated, and it feels 155 00:08:08,960 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 2: like he sided with them when he did call for 156 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 2: this evidentiary hearing. 157 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 3: I think they put on a good case. 158 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,480 Speaker 2: I mean, again, there's a lot of evidence to show 159 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 2: that the city failed, that there's a billion dollars missing 160 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:24,960 Speaker 2: just the city alone. I mean there's also that same 161 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:30,680 Speaker 2: figure for the County Losa loss receipts you count in 162 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:35,040 Speaker 2: more than once, and that was under oath that that 163 00:08:35,400 --> 00:08:39,439 Speaker 2: during a time that Lassa would sometimes make up numbers 164 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:41,719 Speaker 2: and make the mayor look good, so that he was 165 00:08:41,760 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 2: part of a testimony. So a lot of information came 166 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 2: to light that we would not have had if it 167 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:50,960 Speaker 2: wasn't for this case in La Alliance. 168 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:54,480 Speaker 1: Do you know if there's federal money involved in what 169 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: BASS and Loss of spends. 170 00:08:58,360 --> 00:09:01,040 Speaker 3: I don't know. That's a good question because Phillis. 171 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:03,120 Speaker 1: Saley said he was going to do the EUS attorney 172 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: was going to do an investigation and if there's any 173 00:09:05,400 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: federal money that he's going to find out if there's 174 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: something criminal federal crimes that can be charged. 175 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:16,600 Speaker 2: Yes, I do know that too, and that's a good question. 176 00:09:16,679 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 2: I know some of the beds were counting HUD money 177 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:21,720 Speaker 2: was used for that, so that very well could be 178 00:09:22,200 --> 00:09:26,199 Speaker 2: something that plays out because all of those beds are 179 00:09:26,800 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 2: evidence in this court hearing. 180 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:30,200 Speaker 1: Can you hang on another segment? I want to talk 181 00:09:30,200 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: to you about the librarians at the librarians who are 182 00:09:33,320 --> 00:09:36,760 Speaker 1: frightened to work in the library now because of all 183 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 1: the crazy people, the vagrants and the mental patients, and 184 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:42,439 Speaker 1: the drug addicts and the lunatics and the pedophiles who 185 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:45,480 Speaker 1: now inhabit libraries and the surrounding areas. All right, more 186 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 1: with Jamie Page from Westside Current dot com. 187 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:53,240 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobelt on demand from KFI AM 188 00:09:53,280 --> 00:09:54,079 Speaker 4: six forty. 189 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:56,920 Speaker 1: Bringing close to the last call here. If you want 190 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:58,560 Speaker 1: to be on the voice line, it's eight seven seven 191 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:02,439 Speaker 1: moist eighty six of a moist eighty six. Tomorrow is 192 00:10:02,480 --> 00:10:05,440 Speaker 1: the day. Twenty four hours from now is round one, 193 00:10:05,480 --> 00:10:08,000 Speaker 1: and then we're going to do round two and use 194 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 1: the talkback feature on the iHeartRadio app. We continue with that. 195 00:10:11,000 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: Jamie Page from Westside Current dot Com just were talking 196 00:10:15,280 --> 00:10:21,920 Speaker 1: about the lawsuit that a citizen and business group launched 197 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: against the city, demanding to know where the billions of 198 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: dollars went for homeless and so far even after an audit, 199 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:35,880 Speaker 1: no one can explain it, and city officials are admitting 200 00:10:35,920 --> 00:10:39,440 Speaker 1: they didn't even look. They lost billions of dollars and 201 00:10:39,559 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: didn't bother to find out where it all went. Now, 202 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: second story that Jamie co wrote here in the Westside 203 00:10:46,760 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: Current with Rachel Gaudiassi is about librarians suddenly saying they're 204 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:55,960 Speaker 1: not safe. They don't feel safe. There's all kinds of 205 00:10:56,000 --> 00:10:58,960 Speaker 1: really scary incidents happening. Jamie, why don't you tell us 206 00:10:58,960 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: about a couple of the story that you encountered. 207 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:08,200 Speaker 2: It first got my attention when the librarians. I was 208 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 2: sitting in on a city council and the meeting last October, 209 00:11:11,440 --> 00:11:15,560 Speaker 2: and several of them had taken time during public comment 210 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 2: to talk about how scary it was going to work. 211 00:11:19,559 --> 00:11:21,920 Speaker 2: One librarian even said that. 212 00:11:21,920 --> 00:11:24,160 Speaker 3: She was fearful somebody was going to die. 213 00:11:24,960 --> 00:11:29,320 Speaker 2: They were talking about trespassing, robbery incidents where there were 214 00:11:29,440 --> 00:11:33,680 Speaker 2: sexual alleged sexual assaults that could have taken place. So 215 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:37,199 Speaker 2: we started looking into this. The first thing we did 216 00:11:37,280 --> 00:11:41,280 Speaker 2: was file from nine to one one request from LAPD. 217 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,839 Speaker 3: We just got those logs back. But just two weeks. 218 00:11:45,559 --> 00:11:47,319 Speaker 2: Ago I talked to a woman who went in to 219 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:50,120 Speaker 2: go check out a book, ended up having her car 220 00:11:50,200 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 2: smashed in by somebody who was having a. 221 00:11:53,160 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 3: Breakdown or an episode outside. 222 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:59,680 Speaker 2: She went back inside and the librarians begged her to 223 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,840 Speaker 2: call nine, saying this happens all the time. We need 224 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:07,400 Speaker 2: people to call the police so that somebody listens. 225 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: You write that. At the West La Branch eleven three 226 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:15,640 Speaker 1: sixty Santa Monica Boulevard, the LNPD responded to ninety eight 227 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:22,720 Speaker 1: emergency calls in two years at a library violent disturbances, overdoses, narcotics, robbery, 228 00:12:22,920 --> 00:12:28,640 Speaker 1: sexual assault, child endangerment, apparent mental illness, intoxication, and even 229 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,360 Speaker 1: printed a list of the calls. 230 00:12:32,840 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 2: That's one page of three by the way, I mean. 231 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:39,720 Speaker 1: Tiny print here. I mean yeah, one hundred, almost one 232 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:42,600 Speaker 1: hundred calls in two years at one library location. 233 00:12:44,600 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 3: The list goes on, yes, yes, seventy. 234 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:54,559 Speaker 1: Nine calls at the Woodland Hills Branch on Ventura Boulevard, trespassing, robbery, disturbances, 235 00:12:55,280 --> 00:12:59,320 Speaker 1: seventy nine calls, I guess in two years. And you 236 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:04,199 Speaker 1: have you have other libraries and other similar statistics. 237 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:09,240 Speaker 2: When you take the calendar day, you know they have holidays, 238 00:13:08,480 --> 00:13:09,880 Speaker 2: it's all of these. 239 00:13:09,920 --> 00:13:13,719 Speaker 3: When the libraries closed that's a lot of calls for 240 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 3: how many times in shas it's open. 241 00:13:17,480 --> 00:13:21,040 Speaker 1: I hate to be like not sympathetic, but for decades 242 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,520 Speaker 1: the librarians have been accepting, in fact defending the rights 243 00:13:25,520 --> 00:13:28,400 Speaker 1: of anybody to come into the library and do whatever 244 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:32,600 Speaker 1: they want, even when they were leaving doing drugs, injecting 245 00:13:32,679 --> 00:13:35,520 Speaker 1: themselves and leaving the needles behind in the restrooms, when 246 00:13:35,520 --> 00:13:38,320 Speaker 1: they were watching porn all day on the computers, the 247 00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:42,160 Speaker 1: librarians were acting like you were out of line if 248 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:44,520 Speaker 1: you complained about it. 249 00:13:44,520 --> 00:13:45,359 Speaker 3: It's interesting. 250 00:13:45,840 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 2: Yes, I have talked to folks who feel that way too, 251 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,400 Speaker 2: and that does happen. But a lot of librarians I 252 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 2: talked to who would not go on the record with 253 00:13:53,480 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 2: me but did talk some on background, had said that 254 00:13:57,400 --> 00:14:00,480 Speaker 2: this is the system and that if they speak out 255 00:14:00,520 --> 00:14:03,679 Speaker 2: against it or don't enforce what they're told to that 256 00:14:03,679 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 2: they're fearful of losing their jobs or retaliation. 257 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, so there's like a progressive choke hold on the 258 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:17,040 Speaker 1: library industry and the librarian's ah, you can't even complain 259 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,400 Speaker 1: if somebody's ejecting heroin. You can't complain if somebody's watching 260 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:25,080 Speaker 1: porn while while school children are walking by Yeah, what 261 00:14:25,240 --> 00:14:27,360 Speaker 1: a weird cult this is. That is a sick o 262 00:14:27,520 --> 00:14:31,960 Speaker 1: cult and it infested the libraries of all places. Let 263 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:34,120 Speaker 1: me read you quick, let me read you what you 264 00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:37,680 Speaker 1: opened the story with. This is August ninth, twenty twenty three, 265 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,160 Speaker 1: Santa Monica police showed up for at the Ocean Park branch. 266 00:14:43,600 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 1: A library employee attempted to wake a homeless man sleeping 267 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: near the front doors, found him badly injured and unresponsive. 268 00:14:50,720 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 1: He'd suffered blunt forced trauma to his face and head, 269 00:14:54,400 --> 00:14:56,120 Speaker 1: and they took him to the hospital. He was in 270 00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 1: critical condition. Then they found another man loitered around the 271 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:06,160 Speaker 1: same break. The police approached him, also homeless. He was combative, arrested, 272 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,040 Speaker 1: and he was accused of attempted murder and sell any 273 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: battery and a police officer. This is at the same 274 00:15:11,520 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: branch on the same day, the Ocean Park branch in 275 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:17,920 Speaker 1: Santa Monica. 276 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 2: And if you know that library, it's just a very small, 277 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:24,280 Speaker 2: cute library with a lot of kids programs that go on. 278 00:15:24,480 --> 00:15:26,320 Speaker 3: But this also. 279 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 2: Takes place a lot lawn Beach, which is not in 280 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,680 Speaker 2: our city system, but still a library. They were forced 281 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 2: to close down for a while while they had to 282 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 2: figure out what to do about the transient situation. Not 283 00:15:40,200 --> 00:15:40,840 Speaker 2: their library. 284 00:15:41,000 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 1: The librarians are so afraid of their bosses, so afraid 285 00:15:43,840 --> 00:15:46,560 Speaker 1: of the people in charge of the library system in 286 00:15:46,680 --> 00:15:50,240 Speaker 1: Los Angeles, that they will not make a stink and 287 00:15:50,280 --> 00:15:52,400 Speaker 1: they just hope every day they don't get killed. 288 00:15:54,520 --> 00:15:55,960 Speaker 3: A lot of I. 289 00:15:56,040 --> 00:15:58,440 Speaker 2: Actually I didn't speak to anybody who didn't say otherwise, 290 00:15:58,440 --> 00:16:00,760 Speaker 2: And I spoke to a lot of librarian who said this, 291 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:04,120 Speaker 2: that we're afraid to speak out. There were those few 292 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 2: who spoke out at Sydney Council. I got them on 293 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:10,560 Speaker 2: the record, but as a whole, they're all afraid of speaking. 294 00:16:10,120 --> 00:16:11,680 Speaker 3: Out against the system. 295 00:16:11,880 --> 00:16:14,000 Speaker 1: The system. But the systems are made up of people. 296 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: I wish I got somebody would name the people who 297 00:16:17,160 --> 00:16:20,400 Speaker 1: make the threats against them. All right, Jamie, I got 298 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:22,040 Speaker 1: to do the news. Thank you for coming on again. 299 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:24,600 Speaker 2: Sure, yes, of course, Happy birthday again. 300 00:16:24,680 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: Oh thank you, Jamie Page Westside Current dot Com. I 301 00:16:29,080 --> 00:16:31,320 Speaker 1: can't believe this, but we have to take a news break. 302 00:16:32,240 --> 00:16:36,600 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobelts on demand from KFI AM 303 00:16:36,600 --> 00:16:37,160 Speaker 4: six forty. 304 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 1: We are on every day from one until four and 305 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:44,720 Speaker 1: every day after four o'clock. Whatever you miss You can 306 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: go to the iHeart app for the John Cobelt podcast. 307 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:49,800 Speaker 1: John Cobelt on Demand I think is the official title 308 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: of it, and so listen to it. It's been an 309 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:56,160 Speaker 1: all day birthday celebrations. Yes, it's John's birthday. Happy birthday. Well, 310 00:16:56,200 --> 00:16:59,720 Speaker 1: thank you very much. He actually ate a vegan cupcake 311 00:16:59,800 --> 00:17:02,320 Speaker 1: and then he had what he calls a real cake. 312 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,479 Speaker 1: That's right, Well it was a real My cupcakes were 313 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: real too. No, they were real vegan cakes. That makes 314 00:17:09,680 --> 00:17:13,040 Speaker 1: no sense. I thought, it actually makes perfect sense. They're real, 315 00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:17,160 Speaker 1: they're vegan, and they're cupcakes. Yeah, but they're not real cupcakes. 316 00:17:17,240 --> 00:17:20,359 Speaker 1: Yes they are. This is going to go on till 317 00:17:20,359 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: we're dead. It will then AI are AI versions will 318 00:17:24,320 --> 00:17:26,320 Speaker 1: still be that's right, they'll be arguing about this one 319 00:17:26,359 --> 00:17:29,920 Speaker 1: hundred years from now. Well, we just had Jamie Page 320 00:17:29,920 --> 00:17:34,040 Speaker 1: on from Westside Current, uh and a couple of stories. 321 00:17:34,040 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 1: But the last one we did was she wrote a 322 00:17:37,080 --> 00:17:42,000 Speaker 1: piece Westside Current dot com about librarians and la claiming 323 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: they no longer feel safe. And I found that I 324 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:48,040 Speaker 1: actually bust out laughing when I first saw the story. 325 00:17:48,119 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 1: It's like, are you kidding me? They've been on the 326 00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:56,560 Speaker 1: front lines of insisting that it doesn't matter if disgusting 327 00:17:56,640 --> 00:18:01,520 Speaker 1: men show up and injectin in the library, leave the 328 00:18:01,560 --> 00:18:04,159 Speaker 1: needles in the bathrooms for the kids to sit on, 329 00:18:05,880 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: to walk in unclothed, unbathed, sit at consoles, at computer terminals, 330 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:17,159 Speaker 1: and watch porn and just you know, fall asleep and 331 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:20,639 Speaker 1: stink up the library. This has been going on for decades, 332 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,280 Speaker 1: and the librarians wouldn't do anything about it, And so 333 00:18:24,320 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: now I hear the story, and I just want to 334 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:31,200 Speaker 1: go through the lead story again if you're just joining us. 335 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,640 Speaker 1: August ninth to twenty twenty three, this is one example. 336 00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 1: Santa Monica police officers the Ocean Park branch there was 337 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: a homeless guy sleeping near the front door who was 338 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 1: badly injured and unresponsive. He'd suffered blunt forced trauma to 339 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,800 Speaker 1: his face and head. And then a few hours later, 340 00:18:51,240 --> 00:18:55,880 Speaker 1: another guy outside the same branch, the same doors, another vagrant. 341 00:18:56,680 --> 00:19:00,760 Speaker 1: When police approached him, he was combative, are and booked 342 00:19:00,840 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 1: un attempted murder and fell any battery on a police officer. 343 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:05,600 Speaker 1: And I can go on and on with these stories. 344 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: In fact, they said they had three pages of emergency 345 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:14,000 Speaker 1: calls at the West Los Angeles Branch on Santa Monica 346 00:19:14,040 --> 00:19:17,960 Speaker 1: Boulevard eleven three sixty ninety eight emergency calls in the 347 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: last two years, and they printed one page of the 348 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,199 Speaker 1: three pages of all the emergency calls. And I go 349 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:30,080 Speaker 1: on reading in the story and there's one woman, a librarian. 350 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: I'm not going to mention her name because she didn't 351 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,200 Speaker 1: want her last name used. I'm not even going to 352 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:39,400 Speaker 1: use her first name. So she's a librarian. And she says, 353 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:44,560 Speaker 1: it's scary. We have nowhere to turn. We aren't protected. 354 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:49,359 Speaker 1: These aren't just numbers, she said. There was a fire 355 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: at her branch, not the first fires. The homeless are 356 00:19:53,320 --> 00:19:56,359 Speaker 1: setting fires at the library and the city does nothing 357 00:19:56,400 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: about it. Patrons batheing in restrooms. Come on, there's a 358 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: homeless guy taking off his clothes and washing himself, probably 359 00:20:10,440 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 1: washing his genitals in the sink in the library that 360 00:20:13,920 --> 00:20:16,359 Speaker 1: you're supposed to take your kid too for story time. 361 00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:26,120 Speaker 1: And Karen Vass does nothing about this. This is normal. Finally, 362 00:20:26,119 --> 00:20:30,080 Speaker 1: in October, library workers went to a city council meeting. 363 00:20:30,680 --> 00:20:42,200 Speaker 1: Those psychotic clowns, violence, verbal abuse, harassment. They wanted it stopped. 364 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:49,080 Speaker 1: Susan says, not only people bathing in restrooms. They were 365 00:20:49,160 --> 00:20:52,240 Speaker 1: injecting drugs in the study areas. I guess while kids 366 00:20:52,280 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 1: are doing homework and leaving behind used needles and bodily fluids. 367 00:21:02,160 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 1: What what? What? It's constant you trying to stay calm, 368 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:16,040 Speaker 1: but it wears on you. You know, there's nobody protesting the 369 00:21:16,040 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: streets over this. You know why because there's no money 370 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,920 Speaker 1: in it. No, there's no activist group paying. That's how 371 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:25,320 Speaker 1: I know all these protesters are largely paid. Because this 372 00:21:25,359 --> 00:21:30,480 Speaker 1: stuff is so disgusting, so enraging, and yet nobody protests 373 00:21:30,480 --> 00:21:36,040 Speaker 1: because protesting is pointless. Protesting never brings about any change. 374 00:21:36,160 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: That's a myth, that's a fable. You do it because 375 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,840 Speaker 1: you get paid and an or in this narcissistic age. 376 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,280 Speaker 1: It gives you some meaning. It makes you feel important, 377 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:50,919 Speaker 1: like you're part of a cause. Actually you're just wasting 378 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:54,040 Speaker 1: your time. The people who ought to be complaining are 379 00:21:54,080 --> 00:21:59,639 Speaker 1: afraid to. And the teachers, the teachers, the librarians claim 380 00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:01,639 Speaker 1: that it's you know, they don't want to get retaliated against, 381 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:04,639 Speaker 1: They don't want to get fired. Okay, so who's in 382 00:22:04,720 --> 00:22:07,480 Speaker 1: charge of the LA Public Library? Boy, I'd like to 383 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:09,000 Speaker 1: spend a lot of time on this. I'm going to 384 00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: start naming names here. So the guy who's the chief 385 00:22:13,440 --> 00:22:19,800 Speaker 1: city librarian is a guy named John F. Zabo Szabo, 386 00:22:22,160 --> 00:22:26,080 Speaker 1: And he's in charge of the largest population of any 387 00:22:26,119 --> 00:22:28,879 Speaker 1: public library in the US, because LA is four million people, 388 00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 1: the central library and seventy two branches. And he has 389 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:42,639 Speaker 1: all this experience in Atlanta, Clearwater, Palm Harbor, got a 390 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:48,240 Speaker 1: master's degree in information and library studies, a bachelor's degree, 391 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: he completed a senior executive program. Blah blah blah blah bah. 392 00:22:53,080 --> 00:22:55,240 Speaker 1: All right, he's got all these credits on him, and 393 00:22:55,920 --> 00:23:00,760 Speaker 1: all those credits, and he doesn't do anything to stop 394 00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 1: guys bathing in restrooms, injecting drugs and study areas and 395 00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:11,000 Speaker 1: leaving behind their US natals and bodily fluids. Zabo does 396 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:15,520 Speaker 1: nothing about that. But look how well educated he is, 397 00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:22,200 Speaker 1: Look how credentialed he is. Says here in January twenty 398 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:27,160 Speaker 1: twenty three, he talk to the LA Times and says 399 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:32,280 Speaker 1: that there's an evolving role of public libraries. It's not 400 00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 1: for your kids to read books. Apparently we say yes 401 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: to a lot of things. I love the fact that 402 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,760 Speaker 1: people can see the library as part of the solution 403 00:23:39,920 --> 00:23:43,280 Speaker 1: to a community issue. But how much social work is enough? 404 00:23:43,440 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 1: How far do we go with adult education? The vision 405 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:49,320 Speaker 1: of the library is to serve all Angelinos. You mean 406 00:23:49,400 --> 00:23:52,520 Speaker 1: it's to let a guy wash to bathe his naked 407 00:23:52,600 --> 00:23:56,600 Speaker 1: body in the restroom. That's part of adult education. That's 408 00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 1: something children are supposed to winness. John Zabo, you're a 409 00:23:59,680 --> 00:24:03,240 Speaker 1: whack job. You are a total whack job. Where did 410 00:24:03,240 --> 00:24:08,240 Speaker 1: these librarians come from? So Zebo says, we say yes 411 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,879 Speaker 1: to a lot of things, like like injecting drugs and 412 00:24:10,920 --> 00:24:16,840 Speaker 1: study areas. Yes, yes, let's allow that, leaving behind used 413 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:21,960 Speaker 1: needles and bodily fluids. John Zabo says, yes, yes, we 414 00:24:22,040 --> 00:24:25,879 Speaker 1: say yes to a lot of things. This is service 415 00:24:25,960 --> 00:24:31,159 Speaker 1: to all Angelinos. Letting a drug addicted Angelino defecate and 416 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:36,240 Speaker 1: urinate in the library and then wash off any excess 417 00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:41,760 Speaker 1: in the rest room. That's the John F. Zabel philosophy. 418 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:44,680 Speaker 1: When we come back, gonna name names about the Santa 419 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:48,320 Speaker 1: Monica nut job that as director in the library there 420 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:55,680 Speaker 1: because if you talk to the employees, or Jamie Page says, 421 00:24:55,680 --> 00:24:58,720 Speaker 1: what's in her article is they're afraid of management that 422 00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,160 Speaker 1: they're going to get fired. To reach retaliated against well 423 00:25:01,400 --> 00:25:04,520 Speaker 1: John F. Zabo's management. And I'll tell you what lunatic 424 00:25:04,600 --> 00:25:09,000 Speaker 1: is running the Santa Monica Library system, and how any 425 00:25:09,119 --> 00:25:11,960 Speaker 1: parents sitting at home in La or Santa Monica. You 426 00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 1: hear this, you can read this, and you're not on 427 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:19,439 Speaker 1: the phone with these crackpots and insisting that they that 428 00:25:19,480 --> 00:25:22,879 Speaker 1: they leave town immediately. I don't know, I don't know. 429 00:25:22,920 --> 00:25:29,679 Speaker 1: The world is really changed a lot. It just overwhelms me. 430 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:31,800 Speaker 1: I remember when my kids were little and I used 431 00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:35,720 Speaker 1: to take them to storytime at the libraries and none 432 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:38,720 Speaker 1: of this was going on. You couldn't imagine this. 433 00:25:39,800 --> 00:25:44,119 Speaker 4: You're listening to John Cobels on demand from KFI AM 434 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 4: six forty. 435 00:25:45,560 --> 00:25:48,159 Speaker 1: God. I just I never thought there would come a 436 00:25:48,240 --> 00:25:52,679 Speaker 1: day where we'd have to go after librarians. And I'm 437 00:25:52,720 --> 00:25:55,720 Speaker 1: talking about the head librarians in Los Angeles and Santa Monica. 438 00:25:56,040 --> 00:25:58,760 Speaker 1: Because there was quite a story in the West Side Current, 439 00:25:58,800 --> 00:26:04,960 Speaker 1: Westside Current dot com about all the disgusting, dangerous behavior 440 00:26:05,000 --> 00:26:06,919 Speaker 1: that's been going on in libraries. And I know this 441 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:10,560 Speaker 1: has been going on for many years, but they've encapsulated it. 442 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:15,880 Speaker 1: You know, LAPD had ninety eight emergency calls in two 443 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 1: years at the West Los Angeles branch on Santa Monica 444 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: Boulevard and seventy nine at the Woodland Hills branch on 445 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:26,159 Speaker 1: Ventura Boulevard, all in a two year period, and they 446 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,520 Speaker 1: quoted this this nutjob, I didn't know. The head librarian 447 00:26:30,920 --> 00:26:36,160 Speaker 1: is John Zabo, and he says that modern librarianship includes 448 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:43,440 Speaker 1: overdose response, behavioral crisis management, and trauma informed care. This 449 00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:46,159 Speaker 1: is to deal with all the whacked out drug addicts 450 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,119 Speaker 1: and mental patient homeless people that they let in the 451 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:54,720 Speaker 1: library instead of throwing them out. This Zabo says, the 452 00:26:54,760 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: mission of the library is to serve all Angelinos. Tomorrow, 453 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:00,760 Speaker 1: I'm going to find out how much this guy makes. 454 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:10,439 Speaker 1: His counterpart in Santa Monica is Erica Kiagan, eighteen years. 455 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:14,680 Speaker 1: She started as a teenager or a teen services librarian 456 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:22,960 Speaker 1: in two thousand and six, and she allows all this insanity. 457 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 1: The first story in the Westside Current was Santa Monica 458 00:27:26,800 --> 00:27:31,360 Speaker 1: police officers finding a homeless guy sleeping near the front doors, 459 00:27:33,240 --> 00:27:35,359 Speaker 1: and by midday there was a second guy outside the 460 00:27:35,400 --> 00:27:39,919 Speaker 1: library and the suspect became combative. He was arrested and 461 00:27:39,960 --> 00:27:44,840 Speaker 1: booked on multiple charges, including attempted murder and felony battery. 462 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,920 Speaker 1: John Alley, who's a businessman and an activist in Santa Monica. 463 00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:50,840 Speaker 1: We've had him on the show. He's founder of the 464 00:27:50,840 --> 00:27:56,720 Speaker 1: Santa Monica Coalition, has documented repeatedly online safety hazards at 465 00:27:56,960 --> 00:28:03,000 Speaker 1: Santa Monica libraries. Said that residents and library board members 466 00:28:03,000 --> 00:28:06,720 Speaker 1: have to navigate pasted on altercation just to enter the 467 00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,320 Speaker 1: main library for a scheduled meeting. Guards and maintenance workers 468 00:28:10,359 --> 00:28:13,520 Speaker 1: tell us this is routine. Santa Monica's main and branch 469 00:28:13,560 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: public libraries are not properly funded for security staffing for 470 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:24,920 Speaker 1: even normal operating hours. Ali has chronicled incidents involving neth use, 471 00:28:25,600 --> 00:28:31,760 Speaker 1: public harassment, physical violence. Is Erica Kyagan does she care 472 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:36,640 Speaker 1: about this? She's another one with a bunch of degrees. 473 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 1: They all got college degrees. But she's letting people light 474 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:48,480 Speaker 1: up their meth pipes and they get violent on property, 475 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:53,240 Speaker 1: on the library property, he described. John Allie described users 476 00:28:53,320 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 1: lighting up in the library courtyards, frightening families and deterring students, 477 00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 1: so kids can't go and read books, check out books, 478 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 1: do their homework because there is a meth addict, terrifying 479 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:10,840 Speaker 1: families in the courtyards. He told council members to witness 480 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:16,480 Speaker 1: the condition's firsthand by visiting the libraries during weekday hours. 481 00:29:18,920 --> 00:29:23,200 Speaker 1: Erica Kyagan and John F. Zabo, they are the library 482 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,360 Speaker 1: heads in Santa Monica and Los Angeles, and they have 483 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:34,160 Speaker 1: allowed the libraries to become outdoor mental institutions and indoor 484 00:29:34,240 --> 00:29:38,080 Speaker 1: mental institutions, not only the courtyards and the steps around 485 00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: the libraries, but in the libraries themselves. And the guys 486 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:45,240 Speaker 1: are watching porn, and they're rejecting drugs, and they're naked 487 00:29:45,240 --> 00:29:48,480 Speaker 1: bathing themselves in the bathroom, and they're leaving bodily fluids 488 00:29:48,520 --> 00:29:53,040 Speaker 1: around the library and that's okay with John Zabo and 489 00:29:53,200 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: Erica Kyagan, and all the regular librarians are afraid to 490 00:29:58,240 --> 00:30:04,720 Speaker 1: complain because they'll in trouble, they might get fired in libraries, 491 00:30:05,600 --> 00:30:14,800 Speaker 1: children's libraries. This can't be. This is absolutely beyond insanity. 492 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:18,920 Speaker 1: And apparently it's gone on for years. I'm sure they've 493 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:21,840 Speaker 1: gotten hundreds of complaints. There must be a few normal 494 00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:27,800 Speaker 1: people left. I just don't understand, really really, And they 495 00:30:27,800 --> 00:30:29,760 Speaker 1: go to the city council and complain about this. LA 496 00:30:29,800 --> 00:30:32,880 Speaker 1: City Council, Santa Monica City Council, and all these progressive 497 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:37,520 Speaker 1: nut jobs. What are they scold the parents who complain 498 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:46,480 Speaker 1: you're being intolerant. This doesn't go on anywhere else. This 499 00:30:46,760 --> 00:30:53,080 Speaker 1: doesn't The whole state is an insane asylum. Now Conway's 500 00:30:53,120 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: coming in and we'll be back tomorrow at one o'clock. 501 00:30:56,920 --> 00:30:59,280 Speaker 1: Thank your birthday, John, Thank you for all the birthday goodies. 502 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:01,960 Speaker 1: I have a brooker in for Michael Krozer live in 503 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:04,760 Speaker 1: the CAFI twenty four hour newsroom. Hey, you've been listening 504 00:31:04,760 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 1: to the John Covelt Show podcast. You can always hear 505 00:31:07,360 --> 00:31:10,040 Speaker 1: the show live on KFI AM six forty from one 506 00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:12,600 Speaker 1: to four pm every Monday through Friday, and of course, 507 00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:15,360 Speaker 1: anytime on demand on the iHeartRadio app