LA Observed: Upheaval in the mayor's office

Upheaval in the mayor's office

Kevin Roderick • Bio • Email

Strikingly similar stories in the Times and Daily Breeze today on Matt Middlebrook's resignation as top communications aide to mayor Jim Hahn. Both stories talk about Middlebrook running Hahn's campaigns and his departure to join Fleishman-Hillard, the big and controversial public relations firm, in San Francisco. (I overstate that. The firm's city contracts and political involvement have been controversial at times in L.A., I don't really know about elsewhere). The stories also touch on his role as the staff tough guy -- with quotes in both from councilman Eric Garcetti. Only the Breeze reporter David Zahniser has the replacement -- current deputy Julie Wong -- while the Times' Patrick McGreevy and Jessica Garrison recount the growing list of recent departures from Hahn's office:

"It's unfortunate that the politically savvy people are leaving the mayor's office," said Hilda Delgado, who recently quit the mayor's press office to work for the County Federation of Labor.

It does seem to be quite a few key departures, especially with Hahn just halfway through his term. The Daily News, by the way, handled it as a news brief. Here is the release with more background on Middlebrook and his job with Fleishman-Hillard.

Updated Sept. 7

6:13 PM Thursday, September 4 2003 • Link
More by tag: Politics
Email or share:

7:44 PM Wed | No deal yet on May Day Melee

3:58 PM Wed | State supremes take Prop. 8 case

2:32 PM Wed | Daily Bruin goes to China

2:19 PM Wed | Reporting by press release

12:28 PM Wed | May Day Melee could cost city $10 million

Go to LA Observed

Thursday morning headlines

7:30 AM Thu | Oil falls below $50, IATSE cuts three-year deal, slip in MTA and Metrolink ridership, and workers paying more for deductibles.

Stocks keep falling

7:00 AM Thu | The Dow is down more than 150 points in the first 30 minutes of trading. I suppose it could be...

Go to LA BIZ

Going through 'The Changes'

TJ Sullivan | Without referencing its recent layoff, the Ventura County Star's editor says the suburban LA paper is now "more streamlined and, in many ways, much more efficient."

Lost thunder: BLM preparing to execute 30,000 wild horses

Deanne Stillman | We stripped the Indians of their ponies, and now we're doing it to ourselves.

LA's fire-orange sun

TJ Sullivan | When the sun looks like that, there's a big fire somewhere regardless of whether we see or smell smoke.

Contributors • RSS feed

Innovation chief Abrams not too impressed with Times

Lee Abrams, Tribune Company's chief innovation officer, doesn’t seem too impressed with the Los Angeles Times. That’s the feeling I got when he appeared at the Los Angeles Press Club.

Train, train

This Was Pacific Electric.

Tennis, anyone?

Jelena Jankovic is not losing any sleep.

Week eight: the ugly, the bad and the good

A rough week in runland.