Results tagged “politics” from South Bay Pipeline

Rep. Jane Harman's tone earlier today on MSNBC echoed  this afternoon over on CNN, where she chatted with Wolf Blitzer about her recent trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Rather than sending 30,000 to 40,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, the president should use his "leverage" to get the Karzai government to clean up its "rampant corruption," the El Segundo-based Democrat said.

"This kind of corruption is intolerable," Harman said.

Blitzer asked a couple times about when the government should pull out U.S. troops, but Harman avoided suggesting any deadline.

As an aside, the pair also talked a bit about Maj. Nidal Hasan, the alleged Ft. Hood gunman. Harman was reluctant to call him a terrorist, but said Hasan's alleged crime was an "act of terrorism."

When I can find some video, I'll post it.

Readers, here is your morning news:

A state panel Tuesday recommended keeping the Rocky Point area near the Palos Verdes Peninsula open to fishing despite urging from environmentalists to turn the area into a marine preserve.

El Segundo's aerospace community honored veterans of war Tuesday, and some Wilmington women are busy sewing blankets for wounded soldiers. Check out pictures of The Aerospace Corp. ceremony, as well as images of the ladies.

Speaking of which, check out our list of South Bay events that honor our military service people, and see what offices are closed today.

Lomita City Councilwoman Margaret Estrada was declared Tuesday the winner of a third contested council seat locked in a tie after last week's election. A hand recount of votes revealed she won her seat over a challenger by just three ballots.

Manhattan Beach-based Skechers has expanded its brand to reach health care workers.

Readers, for your informational pleasure:

The day after narrowly losing his bid for a seat on the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council, former Mayor John McTaggart died Wednesday. "He's gone out with flying colors," his wife Flo said. "As far as I'm concerned, he gave the city a boot in the you-know-where."

A mint-condition 1965 Volkswagen microbus stolen in the 1970s turned up in a cargo crate at the Port of Los Angeles this week. The pristine car has just 70,000 miles on it and is probably worth up to $30,000 more than it was 35 years ago. Some old hippie is probably totally stoked right now.

No one was injured Thursday when a power pole fell on a school bus carrying physically disabled children in Redondo Beach. Check out pictures of the scene.

Turns out that Carson's prediction of revenue for its new utility-users' tax is a bit too high. Like by at least $1 million.

A Manhattan Beach man rescued his bed-ridden neighbor from her burning home early Thursday.

A Gardena woman has turned her baking habit into a profitable business. Mmm. Cookies.

Two Carson High linebackers like to compare their approach to the game to that of their San Diego Chargers counterparts.

Coming at ya, readers:

Lomita's City Council race has ended in a tie for the third seat, a relative rarity in local elections. Also, check out our post-election coverage.

Say goodbye to bikini-clad baristas in Torrance. The controversial Bikini Espresso is closing.

The family of a man killed in a shootout that also injured a sheriff's deputy this week in Lawndale said the incident could have been avoided had a parole agent arrested Juan Carlos Aguilar for drug possession earlier that day. Check out pictures of the aftermath.

John Bogert opines about a rite of passage -- school dances.

Trial has started for the former Torrance plastic surgeon accused of working while on disability and double-billing for procedures.

Los Angeles city leaders have approved $1.3 billion worth of construction contracts to expand the Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX.

Several South Bay cities and agencies will get nearly $13 million for various projects from Los Angeles County, Supervisor Don Knabe announced in his state of the county speech Wednesday.

Two Mira Costa High School girl volleyball players are glamming up the usually inglorious middle blocker position.

With all seven precincts counted, Hermosa voters ousted one City Council incumbent, but kept another and added two new folks to the dais today.

With 24.8 percent of the vote, Howard Fishman was the top vote-getter. Following were Jeff Duclos and current Mayor Kit Bobko, respectively earning 18.3 and 15.8 percent of the vote.

Two-term Councilman Michael Keegan finished fourth with 13.7 percent of the vote.

Also trailing in the eight-candidate field were Josh Ochs with 10.6 percent; Kathleen Midstokke with 9.3 percent, Christopher Reed with 6.4 percent, and Marc Schoonover with 1.1 percent.

With absentee votes and three of seven precincts reporting in the Hermosa Beach City Council race, Howard Fishman is still leading in the race for three seats.

Fishman has 23.9 percent of the vote; Jeff Duclos has 18.7 percent, and current Mayor Kit Bobko has 15.6 percent.

Incumbent Michael Keegan is still trailing with 12.9 percent.

Readers, absentee votes are also in for the Hermosa Beach City School District race for three seats.

Here are the early results: Jack Burns leads with 28.3 percent of the vote, followed by Ray Waters with 25.3 percent and Carleen Beste with 24.2 percent.

Trailing are Sienna Tucker with 14.3 percent and Jake Pike with 7.9 percent.

There is so much more to come, so stay tuned.

We're off, readers.

Looks like absentee votes are counted in Hermosa Beach's race for three City Council seats.

Here's the so-far top vote-getters in a field of eight candidates: Howard Fishman leads with 23.64 percent; Jeff Duclos follows with 18.0%; and current Mayor Kit Bobko has 15.76 percent.

Incumbent Michael Keegan is trailing with 12.62 percent.

Readers, let's get to it:

A Beach Cities Health District program calling for eight-minute sessions of pre-class exercise has expanded to eight Redondo Beach elementary schools in hopes of increasing kids' energy and decreasing obesity rates.

Meantime, it was near mayhem outside the health district's offices Saturday in Redondo Beach, where folks lined up for a drive-through swine flu clinic. Check out pictures.

A turf war is brewing between West Coast and Canadian ports in response to a $7 million marketing campaign launched by the Great White North.

Another Republican has thrown his hat into the ring for Jane Harman's Congressional seat.

Still arranging Halloween plans? Check out our database of South Bay activities.

Also, check out our page dedicated to all things local South Bay elections.

Readers, let's roll:

A man was found dead with a single gunshot wound to his head in a Marina del Rey apartment Thursday.

Balloon Boy is safe, but remember Larry Walters, the San Pedro man who 27 years ago floated away on balloons tied to a lawn chair?

The man who killed an off-duty Los Angeles County police captain during an attempted robbery near Gardena was sentenced to death Thursday.

A 12-year-old boy accidentally killed himself while playing with a gun found kept in his Gardena apartment.

Longtime state legislator and Manhattan Beach resident Bob Beverly has died.

Did you duck and cover Thursday during the Great California ShakeOut like the folks at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center?

A Torrance acupuncturist will really stick it to you.

Narbonne and San Pedro High face off today on the football field.

Readers, we are just brimming with local news today:

A woman drove her car into a Lomita house this morning.

Former HUD secretary Henry Cisneros stopped by Carson this week to close a development deal on a 198-unit town home development in town. This was one item in a marathon meeting full of squabbling and politicking that endured until 3 a.m.

Finally, some good news in the housing market: State home prices are expected to increase next year by 3.3 percent -- meager, yes, but a big improvement over double-digit drops experienced in the last two years.

Deputies have arrested four men suspected of committing $10,000 worth of graffiti damage in Carson. Detectives found practice drawings in one of their homes. I don't know about you, but I like a well-prepared tagger.

Looks like Redondo Beach voters might have a say on new elements of the city's King Harbor rezoning.

A former Jiffy Lube worker will stand trial for allegedly raping a customer in the Torrance station's office. Oh, and then she got herpes.

Hermosa Beach voters have one less candidate to consider next month when they elect City Council members.

Marc Schoonover, an antiques dealer and political newcomer, confirmed this morning that he has indeed dropped out of the race.

Now, seven people will compete for three seats: Incumbents Kit Bobko and Michael Keegan, Jeff Duclos, Howard Fishman,  Kathleen Midstokke, Josh Ochs and Christopher Reed.

Schoonover did not attend last night's candidate debate, hosted by the Hermosa Beach Neighborhood Association.

Also absent were Bobko, an attorney who apparently had a work conflict, and Keegan, who was out of state visiting his ill father-in-law.

Three other debates remain until the Nov. 3 election: The Hermosa Beach Women's Club will host a forum at 1 p.m. Oct. 14, at the Clark Building, 861 Valley Drive; the city's Chamber of Commerce has one scheduled at 10 a.m., Oct. 15 at City Hall, 1315 Valley Drive; and Leadership Hermosa Beach will sponsor one at 7 p.m. Oct. 15.

Readers, let's get to it:

Police are investigating a double homicide in Wilmington last night.

Proposed state legislation would limit how employers can use credit checks to screen potential hires, like one Hawthorne woman who believes she was passed over for two jobs because of bad credit.

Several South Bay survivors of drunk driving victims are participating in this weekend's Mothers Against Drunk Driving fundraiser.

A new extradition law means means an ex-con wanted in Washington and found in Gardena goes free.

Manhattan Beach residents tonight can give their two cents about how parking restrictions might help ease Sand Dune Park use.

A Rancho Palos Verdes landowner can't use his extensive property for parties or weddings, city planners have ruled.

South Bay residents now has two more places to spend money they don't have: Kohl's opens Sunday at the South Bay Galleria in Redondo Beach, and Howard's, an electronics chain, took the space vacated by Circuit City in Torrance.

Readers, let's hit it:

Rep. Jane Harman has apparently shifted her previous position that any new troops in Afghanistan would be citizens. In an op/ed she's penned, Harman has called for higher troop levels there if the Afghan government can deliver anti-corruption measures.

Gardena city leaders Tuesday night selected its city clerk to fill the seat vacated by Steve Bradford, now an assemblyman. Check out tomorrow's paper for more details.

A new Lomita home for domestic violence victims and their children hosts a gala to raise money in this rotten economy.

Sorry, friends, but you've gotta limit your roosters to just one in Los Angeles, thanks to a new ordinance approved Tuesday.

The man who allegedly sexually assaulted and beat a 69-year-old woman beyond recognition on a Hawthorne street last week has been charged with forcible rape and attempted murder.

A Gardena man pleaded no contest to shooting his ex-con father during an argument. How's that for a nuclear family?

Readers, we are chockablock with news today:

Signs indicate the recession might be ending, but food pantries have seen a 34 percent increase in need compared to the same time last year.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn has formed a committee to explore the possibility of her running for lieutenant governor in 2010.

Meanwhile, political consultant Mattie Fein is preparing to run against Jane Harman as a Republican in the 36th Congressional District.

John Bogert's son is learning to drive!

The ruckus over how South Bay Botanic Garden board members spent a surprise donation has apparently settled down.

El Segundo has given its school board an extra $150,000 cash payment, but the high school still wants more lucrative filming time.

Three more South Bay post offices, including Hermosa's and another in Redondo Beach and Torrance, have been added to the list of possible branches set for closure in an effort to cut United State Postal Service costs.

Cal-OSHA has levied nearly $33,000 in fines upon Exxon-Mobil over the April death of a worker at its Torrance refinery.

A Manhattan Beach man will take the helm of Northrop Grumman once its current CEO steps down Dec. 31.

Palos Verdes High School's boys water polo team apparently has a got shot at a title this season.

Readers, without further ado:

Like much of the state, South Bay school districts improved on test scores and many exceeded goals, according to figures released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

Speaking of which, Gardena's 156th Street Elementary School was one of 25 schools statewide to receive honors for their students' standardized test performance.

Prosecutors presented closing arguments Tuesday in the murder re-trial case of Cameron Brown, who is accused of killing his 4-year-old daughter by throwing her over a Rancho Palos Verdes cliff nine years ago.

Though he agrees that President Obama was lying in his health care speech last week, South Bay Congressman Dana Rohrabacher said Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst was wrong. Rohrabacher was one of seven republicans who voted Tuesday to censure Wilson.

The Los Angeles County Health Services Department, an already indebted agency that oversees several South Bay clinics as well as Habor-UCLA Medical Center, will see a $71 million reduction in state funding this fiscal year.

Finally some good economy news: August showed the smallest decline in shipments passing through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach this year, figures released Tuesday show.

Readers, here ya go:

Gardena City Councilman Steve Bradford has won the 51st Assembly seat in Tuesday's special election, avoiding a run-off by earning about 53 percent of the vote in a field of six candidates.

Two Rancho Palos Verdes teens home alone while their parents vacationed in Spain are among those who shared their stories with the Breeze about surviving last week's brush fire.

Check out pictures of the fire's aftermath.

Scary stuff: A doctor at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center near Torrance details in a new book details of the recent increase in drug-resistant bacteria.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn is pushing for the Knoll Hill land swap, though state officials appear ready to reject the plan for San Pedro.

Local car manufacturers Toyota and Honda saw a boost from the federal government's rebate plan.

Gardena and Palos Verdes high schools are both getting new football coaches this fall.

Readers, let's hit it:

The Rancho Palos Verdes fire is out, but blazes continue to rage in the rest of the region, including the massive Station wildfire, in which two firefighters died Sunday.

Scroll through pictures of the aftermath of the PV fire here and here.

Sheriff's deputies are looking for four men believed to be involved in the shooting of a man in Lawndale last night.

Loyola Marymount University opened its brand spanking new library Sunday. Check out pictures of the $63 million facility.

Old Torrance hosted its first ever block party Sunday.

A Long Beach man was first to paddle Sunday into Manhattan Beach in the 34th Catalina Classic Paddleboard Championship. Check out pictures of the event.

And some weekend stragglers...

Shell Oil Co. has discovered methane and benzene contamination beneath a south Carson housing tract.

Patrons of a popular San Pedro cigar shop are fasting for Ramadan in solidarity with the store's owner.

The election for the 51st Assembly seat is Tuesday.

Readers, here's what's happening out there today:

Today is your last chance for a while to stare down the intimidating dune at Manhattan Beach's Sand Dune Park. The city will close the facility for at least two weeks beginning tomorrow because of excessive use and rude behavior by park visitors.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputy shot a parolee in Carson seven times this weekend, and residents are angry.

The city of Hawthorne will pony up $340,000 to settle a claim that police use excessive force on a suspect nearly two years ago. The claimant alleges officers fractured his neck, hog-tied and beat him.

The city of Palos Verdes Estates was within its rights to force a Halloween-happy resident to remove elaborate holiday decorations that spilled onto public right of way, a judge has ruled.

See the complete list of candidates for South Bay cities and agencies in the Nov. 3 election.

Show us your love and become a fan of the Daily Breeze on Facebook. And while we're talking online social networking sites, why don't you follow us on Twitter? Here's a list of Breeze peeps and South Bay folk alike who are tweeting their comings and goings.

Readers, let's hit it:

Family of the man fatally shot by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies this weekend in Carson question officials' accounts that an unarmed Ezequiel "Tito" Jacobo tried to grab a deputy's gun.

Meantime, two people were injured in a Carson drive-by shooting Sunday night, and two others were shot at a party in Hawthorne early this morning.

Torrance could be getting Southern California's third hydrogen refueling station.

One of the six clergy nominated for two bishop posts in the Episcopal Church is a Hawthorne priest.

A year later, the widow of a Wilmington man gunned down still wants answers.

If you bought a lottery ticket in Torrance recently, you'd better find it and check your numbers.

After years of delayed construction work, the iconic Cockatoo Hotel has been replaced with three chain hotels, though the former Mafia hangout's historic sign remains in place as a nod to the site's lineage.

Fear not if you couldn't it over to the AVP in Hermosa Beach this weekend: Read our coverage here and peruse our pictures here, here and here, and it's like you were there in person.

And some weekend stragglers...

Just in time for prep football season, construction is near complete on synthetic playing fields at all four Torrance high schools.

Yet another election season is starting as dozens of hopeful filed papers Friday to compete in November races, and some cities and agencies have extended the filing period to Wednesday.

A longtime Rancho Palos Verdes landowner wants to hold parties and weddings at a large coastal parcel he owns, but the city says No dice. Jim York, who bought and sold the Marineland property to create a luxury resort, pleads his case Tuesday to city planners.