How things work, pt. 393

Felipe Fuentes, the former chief of staff to 7th district councilman Alex Padilla, is on today's ballot running in the special election in the 39th assembly district to replace Richard Alarcon, who moved to the council in April. Fuentes, you remember, dropped out of the race against Alarcon, perhaps at the suggestion of various power brokers. What voters in the northeast Valley won't know today is that Alarcon will ask the city council tomorrow to pay Fuentes $20,000 for "personal services" he supposedly provided the 7th district while also running for the Assembly. It's item #36 on tomorrow's council agenda.