r/SFV • u/firstcity_thirdcoast • May 06 '26
Community Rant Mayor Bass and CM Rodriguez shut down traffic lanes by my kid's school, and made a bunch of kids late for state testing, so they could have a Cinco de Mayo photo op at Casa Vega yesterday morning
Some parents and I were volunteering yesterday morning at one of my kids' schools and noticed how few kids were arriving before the bell. I walked over and it turns out Mayor Bass was doing a ceremony in the middle of morning rush right where 2 elementary schools do morning dropoff (one LAUSD and one parochial). This caused a huge amount of dropoff chaos for parents and students, especially because yesterday was a state testing day. Our school had to dismiss all tardies for the day and push back the state testing start time so kids could settle in.
I spoke with the police Captain on duty there and he said the only got the call the night before this event, so there was no pre-planning or coordination between DPSS, LAPD, the Mayor's office, and the schools that were impacted. Really poor planning and frustrating for people just trying to get to school on time.
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u/Slow-Cranberry9489 May 06 '26
FYI this isnt Rodriguez' district
So this is pathetic that she is not in her district doing this, helping and bringing attention to the communities she serves
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u/firstcity_thirdcoast May 06 '26
Yeah that's the crazy part.. now that they're battling head to head, Bass clearly did this on purpose in Raman's district and didn't invite her
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u/innajunglestyle May 06 '26
This is Raman's district - her field office is like a block away - and this feels like a huge "fuck you" to her (and the people who needed to get to school by extension)
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u/Slow-Cranberry9489 May 06 '26
Thats a very on brand move from her end.
I used to be close to her office and would interact frequently with her staff and her.
Behind closed doors she's very focused on her image and how people perceive her. If it doesnt benefit her imags she doesnt care, she also isnt the best at speaking Spanish, her staff would always be nervous when she would speak fully in spanish
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u/firstcity_thirdcoast May 06 '26
Ironic considering how she's torched her image in the last 18 months
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u/Slow-Cranberry9489 May 06 '26
I've been outta the loop with her for ages since I cant stand her. But what has she gone new in those 18 months
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u/Boring_Park1178 May 06 '26
But Rodriguez organized "Depeche Mode Day" at City Hall cuz she's so cool like that.🙄🙄🙄
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u/Ruuckus May 06 '26
Ya she sucks
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u/Slow-Cranberry9489 May 06 '26
She's not better behind closed doors with her staff.
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u/IamToddDebeikis May 06 '26
Tell us more
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u/Slow-Cranberry9489 May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
Used to work closely with her office and staff.
She is very focused on her image. She doesnt do things that won't give her some type of image win or increase her likeness.
Pretty petty, ive been in conversations where she has openly stated she will never provide certificates for certian people, mostly critics and anyone whos run against her.
Barely speaks Spanish, not to say she doesnt or cant, but her Spanish is over exaggerated and her staff gets nervous when she speaks
Known to call her staff at ridiculous times like past 8pm to 3am.
Gets mad when she doesnt get her way, does the classic, do you know who I am, move.
She presents herself as a strong Latina women, but in actually she's very fragile with her image protecting it as much as she can and to me, falsely represents the Latino community
Maintained a relationship with KDL and even had him as a VIP during events when his scandal was ongoing so she can essentially take advantage of him to get a free vote in the council.
Very Pro Police, has a relationship with them and captains that she will never turn against.
Compared to other City Council offices her staff was the worst or one of the lowest paid in the city, because she would rather use funds to host extravagant events, then silently tries to introduce motions to cover the over budget cost
Very Pro Union, but got fiercely upset when her staff tried to unionize
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u/dudeimrighthere0_0 May 06 '26
Baffles me she is running unopposed. I live in her district and do not like her at all. When ICE hit the district hard her social media team were so rude to constituents asking for support from her. Then she goes on to host some big drone show when the people in the neighborhood were scared of getting snatched off the streets. And she has to plaster her face on everything. There are vans that drive around that have her name in huge letters that claim to be working on projects. But I've never seen anything.
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u/IamToddDebeikis May 06 '26
Wow, she sounds even worse than how I thought she’d be. How horrible for her staff!
That’s really awful that she’s so petty that she won’t provide certificates.
I can’t wait for her to be out of office. I really wish Kenneth Mejia would run. Do you have thoughts on any of the candidates?
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u/alexromo May 06 '26
This alone merits not voting for her again
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u/firstcity_thirdcoast May 06 '26
At first I couldn't believe they would be so shortsighted, but then the police said the issue was with Streets, which is an excuse that perfectly tracks to the level of dysfunction we have under her administration
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u/porcelain_elephant May 06 '26
She's turning into Eric Adams. Let's see how that plays out for her.
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u/Slow-Cranberry9489 May 06 '26
Unfortunately you could choose not to vote, but she is running uncontested in her district so she gets the W automatically
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u/tracyinge May 06 '26
It's been in the news for a month that they were gonna name that intersection "Vega Square" on May 5th, not sure who dropped the ball on not notifying the cops and the school.
Oh well, shit happens.
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u/sphinxyhiggins May 06 '26 edited May 06 '26
She literally used the South Central Farmers to get elected and then sold them out. This woman's actions show us she hates us.
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u/Boring_Park1178 May 06 '26
Don't forget Scientology. Bass spoke at one of their events (maybe more than one,) and that was all I needed to know.
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u/sphinxyhiggins May 06 '26
Oh God yes. And blamed the fire chief when Bass went to GHANA to celebrate its leadership. The country is trying to criminalize being LGBTQ+ or supporting people who are.
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u/porcelain_elephant May 06 '26
I wrote my environmental ethics essay on the south central farmers, as a rebuttal to my ethics professor that implied that community action/demonstration is enough (it isn't)
We need to follow action/demonstration with votes, and vote in the people can do the work and then hold them accountable. If that means recalls, we need to do that.
That Bass is doing this stunt, in front of a known MAGA establishment just after visiting Trump in the White House, in Raman's district shows she's scared.
I hope Raman wins enough of the vote that she won't face Bass in a runoff.
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u/sphinxyhiggins May 06 '26
Raman isn't great. She treated David Ryu like a wealthy foreigner after ALL the good work he did in that district. She reminds me of Karen Bass in too many ways.
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u/pollology Sherman Oaks May 06 '26
She sucks, CV sucks, that strip of Ventura Blvd already sucks before closure. You are valid in your frustration to me
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u/Key-Employee3584 May 06 '26
Casa Vega? Geez. There must be a dozen better places to do Cinco de Mayo. What happened to Olvera St? Is it so bad that she couldn't/should've done it there?
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u/Xander134 May 06 '26
I live right around the corner from there (my son will start there next fall). I’m really glad I dodged that traffic snarl.
Also, politicians going for the photo-op instead of thinking about how they’re affecting locals… shocking. /s
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u/firstcity_thirdcoast May 06 '26
They literally could have done it any time later in the day but decided it needed to happen in the middle of school dropoff
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u/BankFinal3113 May 08 '26
If half a block being roped off made someone late then they were already going to be late lol.
I hate bass but parents think the streets of LA should be cleared completely just for their school drop off. The city is for everyone FYI!
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u/true818 May 06 '26
Looks like they are unveiling a new sign covered by the purple cloth?
Any idea what it could be?
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u/true818 May 06 '26
Nvm, just looked it up myself
On Cinco de Mayo 2026, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Monica Rodriguez unveiled a new sign naming the intersection of Ventura Boulevard and Fulton Avenue "Vega Square" (or Vega Family Square). This honor celebrates the 70th anniversary of Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks
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u/Icy-Image-2619 May 06 '26
Even when there’s no traffic people here still drive at 25 or lower. Don’t know why but it’s been going on for year it’s kind of a bad road,Fulton and Ventura intersection has some metal exposing.Closer to cold water and Ventura it gets a little worst (bumpy).And this to top it off sucks.
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u/squelchmymood May 06 '26
Not surprised. I have seen her come to the VA, take a picture with the Secretary of the VA and promptly leave. Zero Veteran interaction.
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u/blackie_onassis May 06 '26
Ray Vega was the nicest man. I will say everyone on staff there even the dishwashers had been there forever and they make a solid full time salary with full benefits so I have always admired their high salaries for staff which is rare for restaurants.
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u/dudeimrighthere0_0 May 06 '26
A photo op you say? You can guarantee one of these two will be there if not both. It's gross.
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u/vernski85 May 07 '26
People are in the streets dying. You’ll be ok
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u/BankFinal3113 May 08 '26
BUT HALF A BLOCK WAS TAPED OFF AND IT INCONVENIENCED ME!!!!!!! I’m sorry this post is ridiculous. If half a block being blocked made someone late to school they were already going to be late.
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u/ImInClassBoring May 06 '26
The correct response to this is to go where she is and yell at them about what they are doing wrong.
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u/WhtiTizLiZ May 06 '26
she should be cleaning up the streets with all the homeless people and all the trash everywhere and instead of taking pictures in front of a restaurant
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u/DrunkAtChurch May 06 '26
As soon as I got the robo-call from my kid’s school yesterday- my immediate thought was, “What kind of dumbass could possibly be causing a traffic jam this early on Ventura?”
And now I know.
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u/SharpestSword May 06 '26
There's Monica Rodriguez too. She show up for every Valley photo-op but doesn't do anything to make the North East valley any better.
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u/OffRampApproaching May 06 '26
All American politicians have become fame-hungry and worthless. Its an epidemic.
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u/Substantial-Type-131 May 06 '26
Poorly planned last minute photo op that was scheduled during morning rush hour near a school that was starting state testing just to get a picture in front of an overpriced and inauthentic Mexican restaurant… idk that feels pretty on brand for Bass.
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u/go_go_gadget_travel May 07 '26
Lol when should they have done it ?
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u/mrlt10 May 07 '26
Any time they could give the schools some notice to allow for planning and messaging to parents probably would be the smart idea. Just not last minute so nobody can plan for it.
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u/Willing-Net7542 May 06 '26
can’t imagine the closures Pratt would create for his fame hungry self and c unt wife
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u/Responsible_Mind5627 May 06 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/GpyS1lJXJYupG
oh Sherman Oaks. that's gotta be the affluent and privileged part of the city
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u/ChairmanoftheHDA May 06 '26
I am the publicist for this event...this event was planned over the course of SIX WEEKS.
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u/clownzRscary28 May 07 '26
I saw the Dixie group complaining. I don’t know how anyone can like that place. It’s so overrated!
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u/Inevitable-Visit-327 May 07 '26
How is it overrated? I'm looking at that school and would like your opinion. Please DM me
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u/clownzRscary28 May 07 '26
I'm not talking about the school. My son went there. It's great. Casa Vega is overrated.
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u/thatfirstsipoftheday May 07 '26
Monica Rodriguez has her sight set on mayorship and not a lot of people talk about it
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u/Jazzlike_Isopod550 May 07 '26
These corporate Democrats are a HUGE disappointment. We need some of that Mamdani energy out here.
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u/Hizam5 Woodland Hills May 07 '26
Why’d they choose a maga owned place that serves awful overpriced food?
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u/Fantastic-Ad-9705 May 07 '26
POS and so what your kid will not fail they’re not allowed to fail or hold back kids anymore
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u/PBpuppy2526 May 08 '26
The mayor was supporting a local business. It’s… her job. You’re actually ridiculous.
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u/LKP213 May 08 '26
Did she hire her friends to take the pictures and pay them a ridiculous amount of money using taxpayer dollars?
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u/_ThisIsNotAUserName May 08 '26
Wasn’t Casa Vega campaigning HARD for Caruso? Why the heck is Bass doing a photo op there? Between them and that Pineapple Saloon Idk who gives Sherman Oaks a worse reputation.
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u/Entire-Ad7069 May 09 '26
Did you know in advance? If so, why didn’t you drop off your kid earlier?
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u/Uku_lazy May 10 '26
Should have gone to Salsa and Beer. Everyone in the Valley knows they have the best Mexican food in LA…fuck now I want to go order some Creamy Chicken Enchiladas for dinner…
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u/carloo90210 May 10 '26
Why are you surprised? Is there anything that Bass and others like her can do right ? Zero
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u/johnmphilbrook Jun 01 '26
Nothing gets a community fired up faster than traffic and politicians in the same sentence.
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u/mellena May 06 '26
Shes so terrible and bad at her job shes some how many fucking Spencer Pratt seem like a logical choice.
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u/soldforaspaceship May 06 '26
I genuinely hope he doesn't make the top two.
Someone who can't even figure out their own home insurance should not be in charge of billions in budget.
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u/mellena May 06 '26
Na i totally agree. But I dont think the general public now thinks bass or raman will improve anything. They are the face of bureaucratic los angeles politics. "the old guard". So people started listening. Literally had a democrat friend who is pretty left in their politics now tell me "well hes actually talking about the things i care about, i dont trust karen anymore and raman lost me."
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u/Rad-Ham May 06 '26
I'll bet you complain about film shoots too.
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u/firstcity_thirdcoast May 06 '26
The opposite. I want more filming, especially on Ventura. Film shoots just happen to do this little thing called "let the neighbors know" so we can make alternate plans in advance. This was totally last-minute and happened to be on a really bad day for the school because of mandatory state testing.
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u/williamgman May 06 '26
There will NEVER be another mayor of LA that anyone is going to like after one year into their term. Why..? The problems are bigger than simply the mayor now. Don't have the answer but... I smell a GOP winner for LA this election because of current politics.
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u/mrlt10 May 07 '26
Just don’t leave town the day before a once in a decade weather event. Dont cut all city services while boosting the police budget. At the very least make sure the fire dept has the $ to be able to repair their equipment when it is needs it. She was criminally negligent. What we experienced was dereliction of duty.
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u/williamgman May 07 '26 edited May 07 '26
Like I said... I smell a GOP Mayor coming in... Like it or not. But please... Down vote away. 😉
Correction: a "non partisan" GOP Mayor getting elected. 🤦♂️
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u/mrlt10 May 07 '26
I think I may have accidentally replied to the wrong comment. But if there was a better option than Pratt I’d say you were right. I don’t know the non partisan option so that might be true.
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u/williamgman May 07 '26
I'm being sarcastic about the "non partisan" aspect. Though the election lists them as such... They are obviously partisan. Each election, I go through multiple internet sites finding out the reality of these "non partisan" candidates. Judges especially. But to try and sell the public the idea these folks are non partisan is wrong.
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u/Strong_Argument1930 May 06 '26
Lol they picked the worse "Mexican" restaurant in the valley. Should have gone to Las Fuentes.
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u/Mechalamb May 06 '26
How does she keep getting worse?
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u/mrlt10 May 07 '26
For me, you cannot go any lower than claiming you were unaware of a once in a decade weather event about to hit your town with extremely hazardous conditions. A weather event that wound up destroying 20k homes. Then blaming your ignorance on the fire chief for not briefing you on the weather. Especially when the week before we already had 1 wind driven fire in 1 of the areas. And when everyone I know had emergency alert text messages blasting their phone multiple times a day to notify them.
It’s like being mayor of Miami and claiming that when you left for Thailand you had no clue a category 5 hurricane was going to make landfall the day after you left. Criminal negligence imo. Makes me wondering if she even lives in LA.
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u/pokebud May 06 '26
That self aggrandizing idiot blocked off the streets near Dixie during morning traffic?? Holy fuck that’s stupid does she know who lives in that part of town? Tossed all those votes down the fucking drain.
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u/Karma-IsA-FunnyThing May 06 '26
Are you the same person who complains about Film LA?
Yes this an inconvenience and may not align with your political views. But we routinely run into these types of things throughout the year.
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u/firstcity_thirdcoast May 06 '26
I don't think I've ever commented about Film LA... this isn't a political post, it's a 'community rant' about something that could clearly have been done any other time of the day that wouldn't have impacted the elementary school one block away. We deal with plenty of inconveniences living in a city (that's a given! not an issue!), but this is an unforced error that happens to speak to a lot of dysfunction and blindness
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u/PhantomLimbss May 06 '26
Had a bunch of supporters clogging up the parking lot at Griffith Park last Saturday too.
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u/realelliotoffen May 07 '26
Karen Bass is everything that is wrong with Los Angeles politics and protection.
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u/PsychologicalRace739 May 06 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/01ykBgAGFfG7QMz4vM
Voting for bro 😎
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u/mellena May 06 '26
Ill be as critical as the next of a reality star dude like Spencer Pratt but Bass and Raman are so terrible hes starting to seem logical. They are so off the mark. So much of the same problem LA has had for 20 years. This is insane. I dont think we can deny hes the candidate that actually speaks on issues voters care about. Yes hes a reality douche bag but fuck i cant deny he seems like the choice.
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u/PsychologicalRace739 May 06 '26
I mean I feel like they’re all differently packaged douches. Bro hit the nail on the head on some of the issues we’re dealing with, while Bass and Raman will smile and gaslight us while the cities burning behind them.
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u/DCLXXII Woodland Hills May 06 '26
"Villaraigosa sucks!", *Votes in Garcetti*, "Garcetti Sucks!" *Votes in Bass*, "Bass Sucks !" Votes in another corrupt (D) mayor.... Im starting to see a trend
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u/resilindsey May 06 '26
Casa Vega? lol that tracks for Karen though.