I see ad on tv Raiders on ch.5 50 years of excellence thought you were talking bout Stan Chambers !! keep up good work Eric you the MAN

Lou Parker is a fool.How can you trust anyone who smiles with his bottom teeth

Eric,you are the greatest.You are asking some great questions.Who is paying for the mayors vacations? My question is,Is it cold in Iceland?And will Gabriel Sandoval(Deputy Counsel to the mayor)advise him to keep his hands in his own pocket.We must get this Bozo and his staff out of office.

Eric ,keep up the good work; this mayor is a thief.This weasel is one of the highest paied officals in the country.He is nothing more than a public servent that works for taxpyers.We have the right to know where the money is going .Everthing the mayor does costs the taxpayer .He is a first class horses ass in a first class city.

Little known fact is that since downtown is in debt, the Mayor depends on the profitable divisions of the city i.e. DWP, Airport and Harbor to pay for his trips. Not only is the travel coverded, but the round-the-clock police security and travel expense as well. I guess that means that his guest and companion, Frances "Lu" Parker, gets the priveledge of taxpayer $$$'s and security passed along when she travels with him. Now I figured out where that extra 1/2% tax we are now paying goes!!! Yeah, sure, a subway to the sea!!!! That is another subject...Eric, you need to do a story about all the extra payouts for damages to buildings and businesses (building reinforcements, legal, professional expenses, etc.) on the subway route that will occur during costruction.

Helen: I believe you are correct - Frank just returned from a family trip to the UK. A few weeks ago the anchors talked about breaking up their vacations. Instead of taking a block of time off, they were taking vacation in short spurts - a week here, a few days there. That may be why Frank is off again. Just my guess.

Jozielee:

Thank you for the information on Frank Buckley's whereabouts. I must have missed that part of the telecast when they announced he is on vacation.

I thought Frank just got back from vacation?

Helen

Helen: Frank Buckley is on vacation this week.

... And Walter you gave Angelenos hope for an alternative... maybe next time.
-m

Eric:

I enjoyed reading your blog. I think the topic is so timely and "spot on". I like the way you are independently seeking out this information.

As mentioned in another comment, "Everyone deserves a vacation, but right now we need leadership". If the Mayor needed to take all of these trips, why did he run for office? I thought he was gone a lot when he was supporting Hillary, but this seems excessive! Why would someone vote for this guy? Are his supporters now having "buyer's remorse"?

Anyway, keep up the good work, Eric.

Helen

P. S. I thought I saw Lu Parker anchoring the weekend news with Cher Calvin this past weekend.

P. P. S. Where's Frank Buckley?

Good job, Eric. Keep it up! You're giving me hope for TV reporting in L.A.

Piggy-baking on -mike's Obama analogy, when the president took his family to Russia, Paris and Africa he combined it with business - meeting head's of state. Use of Air Force One and travel for his staff was covered by the taxpayer, but he said he paid for his family's travel expenses. I would think his example would be followed by all politicians. If he's not going on business I would hope Villaraigosa pays his expenses as well as for additional family members.

One solution might be to try Obama's approach: have Eric, Villaraigosa's spokesman Szabo, and maybe the City Auditor sit down and discuss the mayor's vacation and it's impact on the city taxpayer's over a beer. Then we would get answers.

Seriously though Eric, yes we do have a right to know some answers and there needs to be transparency when and how public monies are used and spent.

If this was a personal vacation using his money own money, then I might have a different answer with regards to privacy. But, I doubt this is a privately financed trip...

-m

Eric,

First of all a big thank you for keep tabs on this for us. Second, the mayor needs to come clean when it comes to who is paying for what on these trips. There has to be accountability to the taxpayers of this city. That letter from the mayors office looks like a smoke screen. What does the mayor have to hide? I know you will get to the bottom of this. As for Ms. Parker, I understand the hands off rule set by your bosses out of respect for her privacy. But when you date a public figure, privacy goes out the window and taxpayers have a right to know where their money is spent and on who. I think it's time the people of this city speak up and take the steps needed to remove the mayor from office. Start writing letters to your city council members demanding action.

No, seriously Eric, you have a fellow reporter at your own station who should be an excellent source for the story you are pursuing. The fact that you choose not to pursue this very available source would make it seem like you are not doing your job as a reporter.

It might make you uncomfortable, it might even be embarrassing, but Ms. Parker should have very relevant information, and you should be pursuing the lead just like with any other story. But it's hard to take you seriously about the Mayor not being open when you refuse to talk to a witness sitting down the hallway.

Folks:

I don't assign other reporters here... and I don't seek out reporters as sources for news. I try and find out stuff on my own. This is information that should come from the mayor's office.

Seriously, Eric. Just ask Lu. I'm sure she at least knows where he is, if not who is footing the bill.

You're fighting the good fight, Eric, on behalf of all the decent, hard-working citizens of Los Angeles. Everyone's entitled to a vacation, even the Mayor, but to be withholding information that is at their fingertips, especially when it concerns taxpayer dollars, is incredibly shameful as the City teeters on the brink of financial ruin.

Seriously, why isn't KTLA's own Lu Parker on this story? Couldn't you at least interview her to get her perspective or knowledge on the subject? We know your own reporter was traveling as the Mayor's personal companion in Africa - is she with him in Iceland? Can you at least tell us if Lu has been in the office lately?

I'm really serious, Eric - why won't you comment on this?

I am asking too who is paying for all the expenses of our Governor, His flights every weekend from Sacramento to LA, the family's clothes, meals here and there, etc, etc, etc,?? So why nobody ask about it, I know with Villarraigoza is the same but with comparisons who is expending more???

The ying (Africa) and yang (Iceland) of vacations. What better way to gain new perspective, new balance in a changing life. Ohmmmmm . . .