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6. Andres Martinez, Los Angeles Times editorial page editor When Michael Kinsley left the L.A. Times, everyone thought they were going to get rid of my column. Then this guy takes his place,
invites me to breakfast and tells me he’s keeping me. That’s a first. 9. Lisa Stein, sister She spends a lot of time with my mother. Hopefully, she realizes that will continue when mom
suffers from dementia and incontinence. 15. Dora, proprietor of Yuca’s Taco Stand After a year of weekly lunch visits, I still don’t know what pibil is, but oh, she feeds me good. 22. George
Cosette, Silverlake wine owner That Kerner was mad fresh. And the Moulin-a-Vent? Worth the cash. Those tastings are getting rowdy, though, bro. 37. Luis and Carlos, illegal Guatemalan
immigrants outside U-Haul At least I think those were their names. Sure, they kept raising their price throughout the day, and at the end it worked out to more than $60 an hour,
significantly more than professional movers, but getting worked over like that gave me faith that Latin American immigrants will do well in this country. 39. Luis and Carlos, gardeners
Again, not sure of the names, because I’ve never met them, but these guys show up every week, pick up the $25 Cassandra tapes to the door, and do gardening stuff. I don’t know if I need
gardening done, but it makes me feel rich. And evil. 58. Michael Kinsley, ex-L.A. Times editor/columnist Sure, he’s crazy smart, but when he talks about girls, it’s like you’re hanging with
Snoop. 62. Tony Snow, White House press secretary Back when he was a TV/radio host, he interviewed me about a column I wrote about not supporting the troops. And, though, like any normal
person, he disagreed with me, he was thoughtful, curious and interested in my points. If he kept his cool then, he’ll be fine at the new job.