Your council '(not) at work'

In an LA Weekly cover story, Robert Greene analyzes why a city council thought to be the most progressive ever just two years ago has not delivered. Mayoral politics and Antonio Villaraigosa's newly moderate positions are some of the reasons, he finds, along with the Gray Davis recall, the national election, and the lack of a true progressive majority despite all the ink in 2003 that announced L.A.'s leftward drift.

So what happened? Where is the progressive legislation?...Why are progressives split on the city’s leadership? Why is this City Council, far from being the most charismatic in years, so downright — well — boring?

"Oh, so you’ve noticed," said an aide from an earlier council who now works for a labor union. "Not much going on there, is there? A lot of talk. Not much walk."

Cool illustrations by Chandler Wood. Also in the Weekly, Harold Meyerson contends that Hahn is trailing by twenty points in private polls and he argues that the mayor is running a campaign out of the Bush playbook -- the 1988 Bush playbook.

And: Jeffrey Anderson writes that councilwoman Jan Perry is out to get LAPD officer Peter Torres, a senior lead officer in the Newton division — who happened to be her opponent in last month's primary. Since the election, the Weekly says, Torres has been moved out of Newton and become the subject of an Internal Affairs rap. Perry was combative when asked about it by Anderson:

"I don’t trust you," she said. "But I’ll do what I have to do to take care of my business. If you want to fight, I’ll fuckin’ get out in the street and fight."

Anderson had previously written a cover story on Torres.

And for dessert: Jonathan Gold searches for the best hot chocolate in town.