Editors' Corner

Welcome to the machine.
Machine politics came to Montebello Tuesday night and took out a pair of incumbents who saw it coming too late and were swamped by better organization, more money and real ideas.
First of all I believe Robert Urteaga was the top vote getter for a variety of reasons. Yes he was backed by all the right people and got the early money. But more importantly, he has a winning personality. Utreaga went door to door, visited voiters in their homes, at community centers and reached out to the media.
On the other hand, Mayor Norma Lopez-Reid, who had the advantage of incumbency, had all the personality of Richard Nixon in the Final Days.
She didn't return calls and approached the election as though she was under seige. Not a good move. It hurt her and Bob Bagwell.
It will also hurt Jeff Siccama in the long run. A recall of Siccama will be held in December. Based on Tuesday's results, he's got a an uphill battle.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The West Covina City Council election couldn't have been more predictable. If you think Roger Hernandez was going to lose you haven't been paying close enough attention to West Covina politics. In my opinion, Hernandez represents a good chunk of voters in West Covina who are dissafected and dissatisfied with City Hall. That core group of about 20 percent did (and will continue to) back the outsider. Some of them also went with Fred Skyes, so Hernandez's margin of victory over Karin Armbrust appears to be less than it is.
That said, what if Rob Sotelo wasn't on the ballot?
Well, no doubt that would have pushed Armbrust into a seat.
But, the incumbents won thanks to the size of the field and the lack of consistent slates.
The numbers tell several other stories, Sotelo's loss was a loss for Mike Touhey. He and Sherri Lane pushed Sotelo, while Herfert and Shelley Sanderson backed Armbrust. Touhey's voters either didn't show up or there aren't enough of them to carry a candidate.

Posted by Frank Girardot at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is Edward again. I may restart posting in tandem with Kate, but I'm still trying to figure it out. Also reader comments might be a bit slow posting because of a spam attack.

Anyway, I just wanted to point out this story on how one town deals with the media:
1. Submit your questions, in writing, preferably via e-mail, to Judith Frazier, La Plata's town clerk.
2. Frazier will forward your questions to the appropriate town official. She also will notify the mayor and all council members of the media inquiry.
3. By the next business day, Frazier will send the official's prepared response via e-mail.

- I've reported on cities that hired a pr person; we jokingly call them flaks, as in flak jackets, because many times they are hired to protect elected officials from the media or the public. In rare cases, the pr person forces you to funnel everything through them so they can manage the media. It rarely works, because pols can't help themselves, and the $80,000 plus that pr people get hired for seems a bit high to budget hawks. I don't mean to bash all public information officers. Many take their jobs seriously and as a public trust. Some, not so much.

Posted by Edward at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Pasadena Now says Councilman Steve Haderlein will be meeting with the city attorney today about a complaint filed against him.
(via Aaron Proctor)

Posted by Edward at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This is a past photo, but the water still flows in West Covina, according to reporter Frank Girardot.

Posted by Edward at 11:14 AM | Permalink

A local soldier was killed in Iraq Jun. 28.
La Verne resident Cory F. Hiltz, 20, was a private 1st class for the U.S. Army. He was with the 2nd BN, 12th Infantry Reg, 2d Brigade Combat Team, 2d Infantry Division. He died in Baghdad, apparently by IED and small arms fire.
fyi: A resource for tracking soldiers who are killed in combat has been this site. It also has searchable databases. This is an interesting story about the guy who runs it.

Posted by Edward at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We're not going to write anything else on Arnold Alvarez-Glasman. We'll just refer people to Foothill.
OK. I'm only kidding. We'll be back.

Posted by Edward at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Urban Honking. cool.

Posted by Edward at 9:25 AM | Permalink

Blog Mayor Sam's Sister City notes how 'Alvarez-Glasman' came to be.
- Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1989
GLASMAN ADDS MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME TO STRESS HIS LATINO HERITAGE
By TINA GRIEGO
"MONTEBELLO-- Arnold Glasman said it was the letter that topped it off.
Glasman, recently reelected as city councilman, told residents who attended the installation ceremony of the new council this week that he heard too many snide remarks during the campaign about his ethnic heritage. Glasman, who is half Latino and half Jewish, said he recently received an anonymous letter accusing him of "being Hispanic only every four years."
Glasman, who is a lawyer, announced at the meeting that in honor of his mother, Nellie Alvarez, and in order to silence his critics, he was changing his name.
"From now on, I will be known as Arnold Alvarez-Glasman," he said.
Glasman said he is not going to change his name legally but said his signature will change as well as the letterheads on all of his stationery at City Hall and at his law office.
"There is no real need to legally change my name," Glasman said. "This is a matter of making the public aware of who I am."
The move raised eyebrows among some who fear that Glasman may be perceived to be pandering to Latinos to gain support for future campaigns.
"Either the Hispanic community wants to claim you or they don't," one community observer said. "They don't care about a name."
"Just because I am on City Council doesn't mean I lose my identity or background or culture," Glasman said"

Posted by Edward at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The announcement on the promotion of Larry Wilson, Pasadena Star News editor, to public editor for the San Gabriel Valley Newspaper Group, Star News, SGVTribune, Whittier Daily News, found its way to LA Observed. And deep within all the shuffling of positions, I'm mentioned. I'm famous; I'm famous. In a very minor, narrow sort of way. But famous nevertheless.

Posted by Edward at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Today, we give you two stories on Arnold Alvarez-Glasman, one in West Covina, the other Rosemead, where apparently he is angling to get another job. But the most interesting name thrown in the mix is Francisco Leal, city attorney for Maywood. In this fascinating story by LA Weekly's Jeffrey Anderson, Leal has had some interesting moments:"Perhaps foremost among the many controversies in which these lawyers have been embroiled are allegations explored in a 1999 L.A. Times story that Beltran, a Stanford-educated lawyer, and Leal, a Harvard Law School graduate raised by immigrants in El Paso, were threatening to launch recall campaigns against elected officials in Lynwood, Commerce and Bell Gardens if they did not vote to retain the two men’s legal services."
That would be the Bell Gardens where Glasman is now city attorney.

Posted by Edward at 7:04 AM | Permalink

It apparently is not far off, and how will this affect the illegal immigration debate.

Posted by Edward at 6:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I should have blogged on this last week. The latest calls for assassinating the author by Islamic fanatics should have, as Tim Rutten notes, been loudly condemned by every writer, blogger, newspaper and editorial in this country. Instead, it was swept aside within the next news cycle. Freedom of speech is the bedrock of democracy, and the continued threatened and real violence to end it should prompt us all to stand up and fight.

Posted by Edward at 9:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm not saying I agree, but David "Dave" Siegrist, of El Monte is persuasive in his argument dealing with this post.
"Since so many legislators are beholden to the "rich and powerful," why are we so surprised about the continually embarrassing decline in the numbers of people who vote?
When you see who is giving money to whom, voters ask themselves, "What's expected in return?"
And, invariably, the answer is "Access, Favors, and..."
Beyond that, let's look at what our legislators continue to do:
They pass so many laws that it boggles the mind.
The now hotly debated "Comprehensive Immigration Reform" contains a myrid of do's and don'ts. The laws that have been on the books since 1986 and before that have yet to be applied.
Why is it any wonder that there is such a lack of confidence and trust in so many elected officials?"

Posted by Edward at 2:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No, I'm not really. But would it matter? As a journalist, if I slanted everything I wrote because of my political convictions, only people who supported those positions would continue to read me. That's why I think the latest hand wringing over political contributions made by journalists is much ado over nothing. A sports reporter at the Tribune was noted on the list. And? Now, are there ethical lines here? yes. I shouldn't give money to candidate A if I'm covering candidate A. And I could probably come up with a few more if I really wanted to think about it, but I don't.
fyi: I'm a libertarian (small l) for the most part, and I have never given money to a political candidate or committee. I'm too cheap and would rather give it to a bartender or Dino's Chicken and Burger in Azusa.

UPDATE::"100,000 newsroom employees nationwide" and they find 144 who gave money.

Posted by Edward at 6:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The latest from our water reporter. " Treated water continued to pour Wednesday from an open pipe at Service Road and West Covina Parkway in West Covina.
Officials from Valley County Water District say they are waiting on certification from state health officials before they can deliver the water to customers in West Covina, Baldwin Park and portions of Irwindale and Azusa.
Millions of gallons of drinkable water have flowed through the pipe into the Walnut Creek culvert and on to the San Gabriel River since last fall. Over the past week more than 130,000 gallons have been dumped. If you are keeping score, that's about 33,000 flushes."

Posted by Edward at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporter Frank Girardot has received a lot of complaints about the crossing arm near the intersection of Barranca Avenue and San Bernardino Road.
Earl Brown, 53, and his niece, Raven Smith, 10, were killed and Brown's daughter, Christina Brown, 12, injured when their car collided with a train there at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Metrolink officials said computer records from a crossing arm indicate it was functioning properly.
But residents who have used the railroad crossing have said that there were problems before. Police are still investigating the accident, so this story might not be over.

Posted by Edward at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

New blog plans to post picture a day in Monrovia. (h/t) foothill cities

Posted by Edward at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reporter Frank Girardot took this picture, though his name is misspelled. We'll keep putting this picture up until it stops. It's our contribution to water conservation.

Posted by Edward at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

We're going to be putting the pictures every day in the paper for the time being of the gallons of water being wasted at a West Covina site because the state won't move to allow it to be used for human consumption. With water being such a precious commodity and drought-like conditions, you would think they would be a little quicker to fix the problem.

Posted by Edward at 5:09 PM | Permalink

While we are not out of the woods yet, there is a lawsuit, we're getting close to the end of saga of the' two campaign sign teens.'
"This case basically involves two opposing factions involved in a local election," Booth wrote. "The complaining witness/victim was one of the incumbents. The suspects were all backing an opposition slate" about says it all.
- So what do we know?
A mother paid her daughter and friend to put stickers on signs of her husband's political opponents.
One of those opponents decided to have them arrested.
Instead of a citation, police actually arrest the girls.
Mother calls everyone, including us, to put a tale of abuse of power in the paper on the air.
That succeeds. (eventually)
City has a sign ordinance that is used to charge the girls, but the law is ambigous, possibly unconstitutional, and never really abided by. Except in this case.
DA declines to file charges.
Police refile charges.
Teens file lawsuit.
DA again declines to file lawsuit.
- Have I missed anything? I think the only one coming out of this looking good is the DA's office.

Posted by Edward at 10:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Now you realize why I check Foothill Cities everyday. As an aside, LAObserved picked this up yesterday, though it inaccurately mentioned us as one of the papers that missed the story. We don't cover Nell Soto.

Posted by Edward at 9:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Kevin Roderick picks up on Foothill Cities noting that *Assemblywoman Nell Soto, D-Ontario, hasn't been seen for awhile, apparently because of pneumonia.. Unfortunately, Roderick also tweaks us for not noticing. I did notice, but we don't cover Soto, who represents the area to the east of the San Gabriel Valley.

*I had state senator, which she was when I was covering her.

Posted by Edward at 1:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"Your letters to the editor as well as the front (home page) have become so out of date that other then having a place to hang your advertising it really useless," says reader Robert.
- I hate to say he's right but he's right. Some local bloggers even have a more interesting homepage. All I can say is we are working on it with all the glacial speed that one can as part of a major corporation. But eventually it will change.

Posted by Edward at 1:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

but I'm also not praising it. Tonight they're expected to announce a new city manager.
With solid defensive action by lobbying groups, cities are not obligated by open-meeting laws to announce before the meeting who they have picked and negotiated a contract with. They can but most don't. I find it hard to believe that the public should not be able to comment on a city's top executive position; and I don't find it hard to believe that cities don't try to be more open about it. The city's statement that the release of the new manager's name 'could jeopardize his relationship with the city that now employs him' is absurd.
On a side note, Glendora also played dumb with releasing the employee contract. That, of course, is a violation of the Ralph M. Brown Act.
UPDATE: Alison Hewitt says it's Monterey Park City Manager Chris Jeffers. Better yet, she said they introduced him before they voted hiring him or approving his contract.

Posted by Edward at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The state has more than $5.1 billion in Unclaimed Property. Here's a searchable database on the state controller's Web site. I'm probably the only one that doesn't have anything there.

Posted by Edward at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Living in Monrovia has a sobering photo gallery from downtown Monrovia. Apparently, high rents and hopes of franchise stores are driving the exodus of businesses. (h/t foothill cities) I passed the info to our business editor.

Posted by Edward at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We did this story in connection with the Ken Burns film.

Posted by Edward at 8:33 AM | Permalink

"Arcadia-Monrovia Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2070 invites the community to join with it to mark Memorial Day this Monday, May 28, at 10:00 a.m. at Live Oak Cemetery, 200 E. Duarte Road in Monrovia. The ceremony will include presentations of honors from numerous local veterans organizations and remarks from the mayors of three local communities. The keynote speaker will be 1LT Robert C. J. Parry of the California Army National Guard. A Monrovia resident and Iraq war veteran, 1LT Parry’s personal writings on the conflict have been published by the Los Angeles Times and Los Angeles Daily News.
“While it is important for everyone in the community take time to acknowledge those who have died in service to our country, I’d especially like to invite families to come out and participate,” said 1LT Parry. “Today’s generations of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are paying for the freedom of tomorrow’s generation, and it is important that today’s kids learn early on about the sacrifices of people who are providing them the quality of life they will one day enjoy and be tasked with preserving.”
He added, “The sacrifices of Monrovians like Lance Corporal Raul Mercado, who was killed in Iraq, and those who served in wars generations ago, must be remembered and cherished. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that tomorrow’s generation does not forget him, or any service member or take their service for granted. (h/t Foothill Cities)

Posted by Edward at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

And what did Claremont learn from the reaction that Pomona received when it sent a threatening letter to a local blog? Apparently nothing.
From the DBulletin: "Former Claremont Mayor Diann Ring said she thinks the blog in her city is potentially heading toward litigation as well.
The Claremont Insider - also penned by an anonymous blogger - writes about Claremont city officials and the "goofy, too-serious, power types that run most of the town's service organizations, charities and city commissions."'
-- This all started with local blog Foothill Cities getting a 'cease and desist' letter from Pomona for posting reasons about its city manager resigning. It was overreaching by the city. And that's just from the experts. The city of Fontana should be the model for how to deal with blogs with the mayor and others posting: "Fontana's Director of Public Works Curtis Aaron also logs into the forums with regularity and answers the residents' questions.
"Most of 'em are usually people speaking out about something they don't understand or are frustrated with," Aaron said. "If there's something going on there that's an issue, we don't wait for it to get out of hand. We keep an eye on the blogs, and ... we can get on it right away."'

Posted by Edward at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some have said that we are paying a bit too much attention to the spat between the city of Pomona and local blog Foothill Cities.
The Daily Bulletin looked into the accusations about the possible reasons the city manager resigned, but couldn't substantiate them. Does that mean Foothill Cities should not have aired the comments? I don't know.
But once the government takes an official action, it becomes reportable.
I don't agree with some bloggers who think they can do better journalism day in and day out than most journalists can. They might be able to make hits now and then, but this is a fulltime job. It takes skills that take years to perfect.
But I also don't agree with the old media types who think that we are the only ones who can come to the table and play.
Bloggers fill an important niche, and as much as some people might not like it, they are truly part of the press. Protecting their free speech rights is, in the end, protecting ours.

Posted by Edward at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times has an interesting reader question and answer segment with editors and reporters. The latest one is with Matthew Purdy, investigation editor: "The best reporters are humble enough to ask "dumb" questions (two or three times, if need be), smart enough to know what they don't know and brave enough to let go of their first impressions. You are right that there is a danger in getting part of a story and mistaking it for the whole story. The only way to guard against that is to report against the findings of your story, in other words to test your conclusions. The best reporters, when they are finished with an article, understand what people who disagree with their conclusions would say about the subject and make sure that it is reflected in the story."
- It's the hardest skills for reporters to learn, and some never do.

Continue reading "A steep learning curve every day" »

Posted by Edward at 3:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm not a lawyer, but Glenn Reynolds, from Instapundit and Eugene Volokh are law professors. The point they make about the cease and desist letter sent to Foothill Cities is why did a city attorney get involved: "Even assuming Alvarez-Glasman has a legal leg to stand on here -- which is far from clear -- why is the City Attorney making legal threats on behalf of a private interest? Because the city has no interest in not being libeled, and the City Manager's interest is a personal one. Does the City Attorney routinely do personal legal work for city officials?"

Posted by Edward at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We always get complaints about our local coverage, sometimes deserved, sometimes unrealistic, but is this the answer?
UPDATE:
Foothill Cities picked up on the "new" way of local reporting, and LAObserved gives them a nod.

Posted by Edward at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Warren Fonteneau, a reader, has asked some interesting questions about editors:
"I believe in fairness to all the SGVT readers, we should know who you are.
As an example
1) Where did you grow up....in the San Gabriel Valley? Did you go to school here.
2) What organizations do you belong to ? If you belong to the National Rifle Ass. it might explain the tone of an editorial. Just as it would if you are a member of the ACLU...or PETA
3) Do you own a business in the Valley...if so ..in what city.
- These are mostly generic questions but I am sure you get my point. I do believe a little truth in where an editorial comes from or what it says may be better understood if the public knows the background of the editorial board members. It comes down to credibility."

-- These are all interesting questions, and throughout the day will try to answer them. But first, and foremost, I'm the city editor, which means I supervise straight news. Most times I don't even know what our editorial page has written until the following day, if ever. I don't get involved in editorials, endorsements or positions. l learned that lesson as a reporter, when I became outraged that we didn't support a local school board member who had taken heat for the principled stances he took. I strode (yes, I pompously did) into the editorial page editor's office, demanding to know why. He calmly looked at me and said read the editorial. "You report; we write the opinions." He was right, and I was wrong and had crossed the line. Usually, it's the publisher, op-ed editor and executive editor decide on the positions that the paper takes. I don't particularly like editorials or endorsements. I personally think they are overrated. But...I'm just the city editor.

Posted by Edward at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's what you are going to be hearing and reading for days after the horrific killings in Virginia.
The media is going to swamp you with talking heads analyzing Cho Seung-Hui's motives, past history and psychological makeup.
Since the man was a resident alien, you will hear about immigration. You will also hear how or what police should have or could have done differently on a campus some 2,600 acres. You'll also hear those who want to ban guns or increase gun ownership.
And in the end, all that noise will never answer the question of why a 23-year-old could have decided that murdering dozens was the right way to leave this world.

Posted by Edward at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rich McKee's latest. Montebello has made some curious choices lately, and we'll be watching closely as things develop.

Posted by Edward at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

My only comment on this is what Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said: "freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of political truth."
UPDATE: ok maybe it won't be my only comment because here's an ominous quote that Rev. Al Sharpton reportedly said, "It is our feeling that this is only the beginning. This must be a walk that CBS now does. It must be a walk that others will do. Then we must have a broad discussion on what is permitted and what is not permitted."
- Once you decide that anyone can set a standard for allowed speech it's a slippery slope down to whatever you say that offends me can be squelched. And believe me, we're not that far off.
UPDATE II. Aram garners comments on the firing, and Michael Meyers says Let the Idiocy be Heard.

Posted by Edward at 4:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

A reader asks, "Have you ever thought about asking your readers what they want and what they don't want? Or do you just assume that you know what's best?"
It's a fair question. The answer is -- it depends.
There is a balancing act between giving readers what they want and want they need. An old editor of mine said that we need to give readers information that they don't have but need to know. We and other organizations do surveys of readers' interests, and hold reader workshops where local residents give their input. Sometimes, the information we get and put into effect angers other readers. A simpler, and informal, survey is done practically everyday. It's the phones calls we get. Trust me, we listen.

Posted by Edward at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Don't mess with people's comic strips. In the past few days, we dropped several comics, including Mark Trail. I'm still not sure why we dropped the comics but I'll find out. I first must say, I had nothing to do with this. I deal with the news, not the features and comics. Having said that, we have received dozens of angry callers, some of them quite eloquent. One elderly woman waxed poetically about how the joy of reading the comics was passed down by her grandfather. A family tradition, she said, that obviously the Tribune wants to end.

Posted by Edward at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

While I've been away, Foothill Cities slaps me upside the head and adds comments.
The story from Alison Hewitt that he's talking about, and is behind our ludicrous paywall, is copied on the jump.

Continue reading "" »

Posted by Edward at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

LA Beat: "Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora, is insistent that the MTA should prioritize a $1.1 billion Gold Line expansion that would extend the line from its current terminus in east Pasadena all the way to the Ontario Airport. (h/t Foothill cities)

Posted by Edward at 8:26 AM | Permalink

I went to a talk by David Wallis the other day on the scarcity and slow demise of the cartoonist. I'll post more on my thoughts on that later.

Posted by Edward at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just because they're applying, doesn't mean they know what's coming.

Posted by Edward at 4:20 PM | Permalink

Tim Crews is the 63-year-old owner, editor and reporter of the Sacramento Valley Mirror. While he may mix his opinions with his news reporting a tad much, his type of small town newspaper journalism is important and becoming rare.
"We're s -- disturbers. It's what a small county needs," said the bespectacled editor as he sat at his cluttered desk in his office, fielding calls and listening to a police scanner. "It is really important for a place like this to have somebody hold up a mirror."

Posted by Edward at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is going to be fun.

Posted by Edward at 7:43 PM | Permalink

"And hopefully this will be some kind of subtle message to other newsrooms that if you can spare the time and the resources to turn a reporter loose for a good bit of time, then something good might happen."

Posted by Edward at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Claremont Insider makes some interesting points about the growing power of local blogs and how they are becoming part of the solution in covering communities.
"It's a different time, though. There are other ways for communities to communicate and share information."
Traditional newspapers no longer have the resources to cover all of our local communities as well as we should. It's something I believe and have said before.

Posted by Edward at 9:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The idea: "an attempt to bring together professional writers and editors with citizen journalists to collaborate on reporting and writing about the rise of crowdsourcing on the Web. Inspired by the open source movement, the goal of Assignment Zero is to develop a working model of an open newsroom."
- I might still have a job if this takes off, but I don't know about reporters.

Posted by Edward at 1:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Editors need to balance what readers want and what they need. Most times stories meet both criteria, sometimes not. As I have said before, I thought these arrests were minor, a short story at best, but some believed that we should have reported on it before Election for various reasons. I still think we made the right decision. After digging through archives, finding court documents and talking, or trying to talk, to everyone involved, this is what Alison Hewitt found. And considering how some of the players in this story acted before and how some of them are acting now, it reveals an interesting tale of small town politics. But one that should have waited until after Election Day.

Posted by Edward at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Our state Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, (left) gets locked out of his office when state Sen. Don Perata, president pro tem, decides to act like a juvenile.

Posted by Edward at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Forget politics and editing. What about blogging and shooting video about eating food? The only thing is can I expense it. (via Claremont Insider)

Posted by Edward at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hilda Solis has been appointed to a global warming panel.

Posted by Edward at 10:37 AM | Permalink

Reader Kyle also thinks we should have printed the story about the Glendora teens arrest before the election, so he joins Foothill Cities who feels the same. Another person who sent an e-mail backed my stance, so maybe I'll get a late push.

Posted by Edward at 7:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

No bias. No favor.
It’s a mantra we journalists try to live by. And around election time, the standard guides us as we decide which stories to publish before Election Day and which ones to publish afterward.
Every year in the weeks heading up to the day people vote, tips of skullduggery flood our phone lines: Candidates or their supporters misusing campaign contributions, lying about their accomplishments or other candidates’ histories and destroying lawn signs. These are just a few of the usual accusations.

Continue reading "My column" »