L.A.'s Top Political Stories Of 2009 Listed: Not A Good Year For City Hall

Blaze of glory: The Station Fire.

The blog Griffith Park Wayist has its take on the top 10 political stories in the city of Los Angeles for the year, and by the looks of it 2009 wasn't City Hall's best year. There was a mayor who let the governor's race pass him by, the council that found distraction in elephant enclosures, the outsiders who won citywide office and the insiders who quit working for the city en masse.

"This year was a year of political transformation in the City of Los Angeles and its immediate environs," states the blog. " ... Not used to beating City Hall, the folks who vote should take a little time to appreciate what they've accomplished over the course of the past year." We'll tease you with a summary of Griffith Park Wayist's Top 5.

-First up is the Station Fire. (The Station Fire?). Yes, the Station Fire, the largest such blaze in county history. It blew the roof off the San Gabriel Mountains from Sunland to Glendora. Didn't know these places (one, in the city of Los Angeles, the other, way out above the San Gabriel Valley) were even connected? Neither did we. Oh, and there was some question about the response, including whether firefighter staffing and air-support was adequate on the initial days of the months-long fire.

-Paul Krekorian gets to the City Council, despite being outspent and outgunned by a candidate the Wayist describes as more of an insider.

-Carmen Trutanich gets to the City Attorney's office: This guy's proven to be way outsider. And entertaining.

-The LA Weekly shows the folly of the City Council's serious-issue avoiding, high-pay having ways. Yay.

-Finally: " ... Most of the City's top managers, including the Police and Fire Chief, the Animal Services chief, the Building and Safety Chief, the Water and Power Chief, the CRA chief, and even the Mayor's Chief of Staff chief fled ... " Last one to leave turns the lights out.

The rest.