City Beat

Sky’s The Limit

HOW A COUNCILMEMBER TORCHED HER CAREER

Katie Valenzuela Photo by Aniko Kiezel

Summer brought an unwelcome spectacle to City Hall when an unknown who became somebody let an even bigger nobody crash her political career.

The fi rst nobody is City Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who rose from obscurity last year to bounce incumbent Steve Hansen into retirement. Valenzuela is a tireless campaigner who benefi ted from personality traits absent in Hansen— humility, sincerity and the willingness to listen and learn. Voters liked her passion for community issues. They also liked the fact that she wasn’t Steve Hansen.

Arriving at City Hall in December’s pandemic frost, Valenzuela didn’t enjoy a stellar start. She exasperated veteran members with endless philosophical meanderings as she worked her way through issues. She often ignored the fi rst rule of politics: When the votes are lined up, shut up.

Such annoyances were forgivable in a new councilmember, especially one who never served on a school board or planning commission. Valenzuela acknowledged her confusion over council practices and procedures. She was dazzled by the parliamentary voodoo of Mayor Darrell Steinberg, a magician who can tip his top hat and make white doves fl utter from a consent agenda.

Valenzuela was in deep waters over her head, but that’s OK. She was growing into her position and sincere about her progress.

Then she embarked on a suicide mission. The rookie councilmember who represents Downtown, Midtown, Land Park and Little Pocket asked a nobody named Skyler Michel-Evleth to join her City Hall staff. He handles social media and constituent calls.

As jobs go, the labor expected of Michel-Evleth was entry level. Council offi ces have happily used high school interns to post social media greetings and respond to complaints about illegal dumping and badly parked vehicles. The work was not heavy lifting.

Unfortunately for Valenzuela, Michel-Evleth is not a college intern. He’s a grownup performance artist and attention seeker whose stage name is Skyler Henry. He produced podcasts where the audience, while small, was not infl uential.

Serially unoriginal, Michel-Evleth embarked on his quest to gain attention by presenting himself as a detached, avuncular radical. He threw no Molotov cocktails, but told his less hip audience members that such acts as terrorizing the domestic serenity of Steinberg and City Manager Howard Chan were perfectly acceptable.

Naturally, Michel-Evleth declined to get his clothes dirty and risk arrest. He left the grunt work to his handful of listeners.

Soon enough, his tiny audience included Steinberg, Chan, Police

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By R.E. Graswich City Beat

Chief Daniel Hahn and City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood. When the City Council realized Michel-Evleth was the same Skyler Henry hired to post videos for Valenzuela, eight councilmembers not named Valenzuela instructed Alcala Wood to block the attention seeker from City Hall with a judicial restraining order.

Despite Alcala Wood’s best efforts, the judge was not impressed. He tried to temper hostilities by explaining that blowhards can pretty much say what whey want. But it was too late. Supported by Valenzuela, MichelEvleth engaged his own lawyers— experienced, professional agitators. The City Hall Uncivil War was on.

The war might have ended with a whimper if Michel-Evleth took responsibility for his words, wrote a resignation letter and freed his naïve, young boss from the corner into which she painted herself. That’s how these mistakes typically disappear. But ego and principle and opportunity spun out of control. Good sense evaporated.

TO PAGE 29

CARROTS

This root vegetable is packed with beta carotene. Classically orange in color, it also comes in white, red, yellow and purple varieties.

Look for tender baby carrots at the market.

To eat: For a cooling summer soup, make carrot vichyssoise.

PLUMS

This delicious stone fruit is a relative of the peach, nectarine and (surprise) almond. When dried, it’s a prune. To eat: Eat out of hand, or slice and bake for a cobbler, pie or upside-down cake.

Monthly Market

A LOOK AT WHAT’S IN SEASON AT LOCAL FARMERS MARKETS IN AUGUST

CANTALOUPE

This melon has antioxidant and antiinflammatory properties. It belongs to the cucurbit family of plants, which includes cucumbers, pumpkins and squashes. To eat: Using cantaloupe, Food Network’s Giada De Laurentiis makes an unusual and tasty dish called Spaghetti al Melone.

OKRA

This vegetable gets a bad rap for its sometimes-slimy texture. It’s a staple in Southern cuisine, particular gumbo. It’s low in calories— as long as you don’t fry it! To eat: Grill, roast or pickle.

FIGS

This Mediterranean fruit is sweet and chewy, with tiny, crunchy seeds and a smooth skin. It’s a great source of dietary fiber and potassium. To eat: Sacramento’s now-defunct Fat Face restaurant used to serve poached figs inside a grilled brie sandwich.

GRAPEFRUIT

Pucker up: This citrus fruit is tart and tangy. It’s rich in vitamin C and the antioxidant lycopene. It comes in white, pink and red varieties. To eat: Broil grapefruit slices until warm for a quick, healthful dessert.