Ed Asner Attacks Progressive LA City Council on Public Access Demise

Los Angeles CA Full Disclosure Network® presents a nine minute video news blog with Ed Asner who appears to attack the "progressive" members of the Los Angeles City Council and challenges them to stop the neglect of the public cable access television channels and to start funding the facilities here in the heart of the media world and Hollywood California. Asner, was especially critical of the City's practice of diverting the vast majority of $25 million in annual cable franchise fees, paid by the cable operators, into the city's general fund rather than supporting the public access channels, as it was intended

FORMIDABLE FORCES FIGHT DEMISE
Ed Asner is considered one of the most prominent activist actors of his time. He has emerged as the second political powerhouse to voice concern about government actions that would destroy America's public access cable television system, joining Stanley Sheinbaum, the former UC Regent and President of the L A Police Commission who has been waging a campaign to convince the California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, to file for injunctive relief to stop the closing of the Time Warner Cable public access channels in Los Angeles.

CITY FAILS TO PROTECT PUBLIC CHANNELS
Without opposition from the Mayor or the City Council of Los Angeles, Time Warner Cable has shut down public access cable channels in I.A. as of January 1, 2009. The City has failed to designate or provide for even one public access channel to fill the void, while approving a plan to retain four government controlled public cable channels.

PROGRESSIVE COUNCIL ACUSED OF KILLING FREE SPEECH
Asner, who won seven Emmy awards for his “Lou Grant” TV series focusing on the news gathering and reporting operations, tells Full Disclosure of his concern that the “Progressive" members of the L. A. City Council have lost their way and forgotten about the importance of free expression and the public's right to public "venting" their issues of concern.

POLITICAL POWERHOUSE TO SAVE PUBLIC ACCESS CABLE IN L.A.?

Los Angeles CA Political powerhouse Stanley Sheinbaum, former Regent of the University of California (appointed by Gov. Gerry Brown) and former President of the Los Angeles Police Commission has jumped into the fight to save public access cable channels and studios in Los Angeles. Appearing in aFull Disclosure Network® Video News Blog (ten minutes) Mr. Sheinbaum describes why he wrote a letter appealing to Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr. to intervene.

In this exclusive interview with the Full Disclosure host Leslie Dutton,Sheinbaum talks about the importance of having public access cable operations in Los Angeles. As a long time benefactor of the ACLU Foundation and close associate of Ramona Ripston, of the ACLU of Southern California, Sheinbaum says that “public access is important to keep an arm on government.”

In an urgent letter to California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown, Jr. , Mr. Sheinbaum appeals to him to seek emergency injunctive relief to stop Time Warner Cable from shutting down the 14 public access studios and channels in Los Angeles on December 31, 2008 until such time as the City has made arrangements to replace the facilities.

Letters from other organizations who have appealed to the Attorney General along with Stanley Sheinbaum are:

• David R. Hernandez, Los Angeles Public Access Coalition
• THE CAUCUS of Producers, Directors, Writers & New Media
• Full Disclosure Network® (send Automated letter to the AG click here)

BREAKING NEWS: On December 17, 2008 Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick released the Audit Report on the two City-run government cable channels. In that report she calls for “more diverse programming and reducing costs and enhancing revenues.” Read the Audit Report that is certain to cause concern among independent public access producers, who may be required to pay fees to have their programs appear on public access channels should the City take over the operations after December 31, 2008.

PROGRESS IN FIGHT TO SAVE PUBLIC ACCESS: CITIZENS & PRODUCERS WIN ROUND #1

Los Angeles, CA Faced with strong opposition from prominent and influential independent producers, the L. A City Council retreated from their plan to seize public cable channels and studios to consolidate the operations for government use. The fight to save public access cable operations gained momentum when the City Council voted unanimously on Wednesday December 3, 2008, to refer a controversial proposal to a second committee rather than call for a full Council vote. That vote would have allowed the City government control of all the public channels in Los Angeles.

Following the Council hearing, Full Disclosure® interviewed Mr. Vin Di Bona, four time Emmy Award-winning and Peabody Award winning Executive Producer and creator of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” , who is also the former Chairman and currently Co-Chair of “The Caucus” http://www.caucus.org/ a prestigious organization representing Producers, Writers and Directors and the New Media in Los Angeles. The Caucus is calling for the preservation of the public access cable operations in Los Angeles. (Watch 5 min video here)

On a motion by Councilman Bill Rosendahl, that was passed unanimously, the council referred to the matter to the Budget Committee. That Committee, chaired by Bernard Parks, will now be charged with the task of re-evaluating whether or how an approximately $30 million dollars in cable operators franchise fees to the city can be used for a public channel.

Although Council President Eric Garcetti called for six minutes testimony from each side, there were no requests from the public to support the Council’s proposal.

David Hernandez, President of the Los Angeles Public Access Coalition said “If the Council's plan to kill public access is approved, the public would be limited to one or two minutes on the government access Cityview Channel 35, provided they were granted permission to speak"

Full Disclosure Network® will release a full and complete video report covering the entire hearing, with testimony is to be aired on public access cable channels throughout the state and on the internet soon.