September 2008 Archives

When Sarah Palin cames to Los Angeles County this Saturday, the Courage Campaign plans to welcome her with an overhead plane flight trailing a banner. They are still deciding what they want it to say.

You can submit your ideas here. I don't think there is any prize except to see your words annoy the woman who could be the next vice president of the U.S.

Some links to articles/blogs/economists on the bailout plan and its future.

House members from safe seats voted against the bailout- L.A Times

Newt Gingrich stirred up opposition to the bailout- Huffington Post

Frank Girardot doesn't see the parallels between the Great Depression and the current crisis- Pasadena Star News

GOP lawmakers should stop blaming Nancy Pelosi for their 'no' votes- Wall Street Journal

Adam Schiff's plan for the bailout (see previous post)- San Gabriel Valley Tribune

Drops on the stock market don't necessarily lead to an economic collapse (an economist's view against the bail out)- Dean Baker

How California lawmakers voted on the bailout(account required)- Capitol Alert

Lawmakers who voted for bailout took more money from financial services industry on average than those who voted against- Open Secrets

Our Pasadena representative has another plan for handling the economy he is hoping to help into place (Schiff is still in Washington D.C. today, unlike most other representatvies). We published an editorial on the plan in today's paper. Schiff spends a lot of the editorial explaining his 'no' vote, something we reported on yesterday, but I find it more interesting to hear about what he is proposing instead:

Here's what I think we should be doing instead: To deal with the credit crisis, raise the cap on FDIC insurance of banks and credit unions, so that Americans know that whatever money they have in the bank is safe and backed by the full faith and credit of the government. This would stop people from withdrawing money from community institutions, and free up lending to small businesses. The Department of Treasury essentially did this with money market funds, and is helping to restore confidence in that sector. Next, instruct regulators to stop requiring financial institutions to mark down their mortgage-backed securities to market value, and give them time and assistance in working out their capital and liquidity problems.

Most important, we must confront the epidemic of foreclosures by establishing local home loan corporation boards or some other mechanism to help homeowners restructure their mortgages over longer or different terms so that we can stem the tide of foreclosures. And we should enact a strong stimulus package directed at the local economy, putting people to work, restoring purchasing power and improving home values.

This approach - starting with the local community and working up, rather than bailing out Wall Street and working down - far more directly addresses the underlying ills and puts far fewer taxpayer dollars at risk. I believe it would be every bit as reassuring to the markets as the Paulson plan, and do more to deal with the root problem. It would also save countless billions of taxpayer dollars on the front end, so we have the resources we need to deal with the additional problems that are most certainly heading our way.

I think he makes a good point that we have lost sight about the base problem behind this financial crisis: people can't make payment on their home loans. I can't remember the last time I read extensive reporting on what congress/state/local governments are doing or not doing to deal with that fundamental issue. I'm actually looking at a couple of things that Pasadena is considering, and looking to get something in the paper over the weekend- obviously, though, any plan a city can put into place would be much stronger if it had some sort of federal backing.

Also, as I understand it, we are still looking at millions more foreclosures happening in the near future, so it seems like even if we neutralize lousy mortgage-based securities now, there are only going to be more shocks to the system later on as more foreclosures happen- wouldn't it make sense to try and stop them in the first place?

Aye: Gary Miller, David Dreier
Nay: Hilda Solis, Adam Schiff, Grace Napolitano, Linda Sanchez

In an unusual split, our area Democrats voted against the bailout, and our area Republicans voted for it. Nationally, 140 Democrats voted for it, with 95 against, and 65 Republicans voted for it, with 133 against.

It seems that people's ideological stance was not an accurate predictor of how they voted: some liberal Democrats voted for it, some against. Some conservative Republicans voted for it, some against.

The Democrats I spoke to felt it gave too much power to the executive branch, particularly for Secretary Paulson- Schiff raised concerns that taxpayers would not get their money back since Paulson would be able to decide which equities taxpayers would get a share in, and which they wouldn't.

They also strongly believe that the bill does not do anything to address the root of the problem: home foreclosures. Without legislation that gives homeowners a way to renegotiate their mortgages so they can find a way to make payments, Solis and Napolitano are not likely to vote for it.

I spoke with David Dreier, on the Republican side, and he portrayed the bill as a necessary evil.... he did not have much to say on what specific issues could be addressed to bring Republicans who voted against the bill on board.

More to come in tomorrow's paper.

UPDATE: The Washington Post has a voter database that breaks votes down by several categories, some of them minimally irrelevant at best. One category I did find interesting is breaking the vote down by region. Legislators from the 'Northeast' region voted for it overwhelmingly, 54-29. Every other region voted against it.

Mike Spence, of the California Republican Assembly group, says his group is going to discuss supporting the recall campaign at the state GOP convention this weekend . Spence was a delegate to the national GOP convention earier this month.

The story from Capitol Weekly:

The recall campaign, launched by the disgruntled prison guards' union has not been taken seriously thus far, but the endorsement of a GOP group could go a long way towards getting people's attention.

The CRA, which is very conservative, is doubtlessly very unhappy with the governor's proposal to raise the sales tax to close the budget deficit. In the budget negotiations that finally ended last week, Schwarzenegger has consistently been closer to the Democratic proposals than the GOP ones.

But. of course, that is what it takes to get elected as a Republican candidate in a very Democratic state.

Though the state budget last week was trumpeted as a "no-tax" budget, the San Diego Union Tribune has revealed that's not entirely so:

Drivers will be tapped for an additional $11 when they register their car or motorcycle starting Dec. 1. That will raise about $300 million for California Highway Patrol programs this fiscal year.

Funny, since Gov. Schwarzenegger's started his time as executive of the state with massive cuts to the vehicle licensing fee in 2003 that were not accompanied by similarly-sized cuts in spending.

The U.S. House of Reps today passed legislation co-sponsored by Adam Schiff that would put automated crash avoidance systems in Metrolink trains.

Basically, the systems take control away from an engineer if he is making the wrong decision. From Schiff's press release, the system explained:

* Digital communications are combined with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to monitor train locations and speeds.

* If engineers do not comply with signals, the system automatically brings the trains to a stop.

For some reason, despite the GOP's utter lack of chance to win California, Sarah Palin is coming to L.A. County for a campaign rally. I believe she is also here to fundraise, which is typically the only reason national politicians come here..... Obama, McCain, Clinton, and Romney are among those who have been here frequently in the last year for just that reason.

The rally will take place October 4 in Carson. Details below provided by the state GOP party:

Thank you for your dedication to Senator McCain and Governor Palin. We have officially confirmed the time and location of the Palin Victory rally in California. Drum Roll Please...........................

2:00pm
Saturday, October 4th, 2008
Home Depot Center
ADT Tennis Stadium
18400 Aviation Blvd.
Carson, CA

TICKETS ~

We have 3 types of admission tickets we will distributing to the public: VIP, General Admission, and Day of Event General Admission Tickets
They will be available at all Victory offices or can be acquired via email RSVP to
california@johnmccain.com

· VIP Tickets: Available to any volunteer who makes 100 phone calls at a local McCain-Victory phone bank. These tickets will be available for pick up at any Victory Headquarters Office with verification of calls made. These ticket holders will get preferred seating.
· General Admission Tickets: Available for pick up at any Victory Headquarters Office around the state. Ticket holders who pick up or email requests in for tickets in advance will be allowed to enter the arena when doors open.
· Day of Event General Admission : On the day of the event, same day tickets will be issued on a first-come-first-serve basis.

The question is, should we cover this event as a paper? Considering the governor is not coming to the San Gabriel Valley, and that the press hasn't been allowed within 10 yards of Palin since her candidacy began, I am inclined to think, if anything, we use the Associated Press version of the story, rather than sending a reporter (likely me) there. Anyone want to weigh in?

Last night the City Council voted its opposition to Proposition 5, the state ballot prop that would mandate drug counseling for criminal offenders as an alternative to prison. Most law enforcement agencies oppose the thing for giving too many types of offenders options to do drug counseling instead of going to prison, and for shortening too many prison sentences.

I haven't read the proposition yet (yes, I am the type who actually painstakingly reads the proposition text, even though it can be extremely painful) so I can't really evaluate those claims. Here is the text if anyone wants to do the honors.... tell me what you figure out.

That now means Pasadena is opposed to Proposition 7, the solar energy initiative ( as I discussed here), and is for Proposition 11, the redistricting initiative (according to Ballotpedia, Pasadena was in fact the first city in California to endorse it). Apparently, the city plans to continue looking at ballot measures and weighing in... up next appears to be the half-cent sales tax measure to fund transit projects that local governments all over the San Gabriel Valley are already lining up to denounce.

The city council voted last night to buy a new chopper for the city to take on night flights... it is supposed to have new quiet helicopter technology that cuts rotor noise in half. It also is supposed to be one of the safest helicopter models in history, and can reach speeds of 175 mph, compared to 125 mph for the current helicopter fleet.

Also, it uses air pollution for fuel and emits a fresh, minty odor.

OK, I made up that last one. It is very much just like Pasadena, though, to buy a super quiet helicopter that won't disturb residents at night, especially when Glendale and Burbank already have them (got to keep up with the Joneses).

And while it is a good time to poke a little fun at the city for prioritizing quiet night flights, in all honesty, I've heard the night chopper they have now, and you can't hear a thing when it is hovering over your neighborhood.

We'll have more on the chopper later this week.... and coming up tomorrow some of the more pressing issues from last night's meeting.

Pasadena is finalizing its agreement with its incoming city manager and will be paying him a robust $265,000 annual salary. The total benefits of his contract will be $336,500. That's $21,500 more than the city had slated for the position in June's budget.

Meanwhile, former Pasadena city manager Cynthia Kurtz just took a temporary city manager position in Covina, and will make about $154,000 in annual salary (though she may not be there a year). The contract arrangement is only for her to work 30 hours a week, and if she does more, she will make more.

Kurtz made about $235,000 annually when she was city manager of Pasadena, and interim city manager Bernard Melekian makes about $230,000 annually in his role as interim manager (though, of course, he has not worked a full year in position.)

I believe the salary makes Beck the highest paid city-manager in the San Gabriel Valley- according to stories from this paper last year Kurtz was the highest paid at $235,000 and I don't think anybody has garnered that huge a pay raise since.

Two city council meetings ago, city staff pressed the council on accepting on urgent health care site at a Del Mar Blvd property that the city owns. However, neighborhood opposition to the project stalled the council from moving forward- they asked staff to look at other options.

They found one. According to city mayor Bill Bogaard, there is a site at 40 N. Altadena Drive that the city is looking into- the city is also looking at several other options that were discussed at that council meeting.

However, Bogaard says that the Altadena site is one that the city's hospital and foundation partners approve of (they really want to locate the clinic in South-east Pasadena). He also added that the building's owners are very happy at that prospect of having a "credit-worthy" tenant, which the project would provide, and hence are dangling some very appealing financial numbers in front of the city.

Finally, Bogaard adds that the site could be easier to install medical equipment in than the Del Mar site. That would be a plus for the city, considering it is in a time crunch to get moving on the project to guarantee holding on to a $500,000 grant.

On a related note, a broker for an office building at Colorado and Kinneloa that Sid Tyler mentioned as a possible location called me early this week and said the city had not contacted him about the property yet. He said he was eager to begin talks about the project. They may have contacted him by now, for all I know.

Yesterday I wrote a post about David Dreier's abstention on an energy bill vote. I am taking the post down as I now have been informed that the congressman is with his family due to the recent death of his mother and is not presently in Washington at all. I had been informed of his mother's death earlier in the week, but unfortunately, it simply didn't register when I was looking at the voter roll log online (it simply marks down 'abstention' regardless of whether a member is absent or chose not to vote.)

For more information on the energy bill, read here

My apologies to the congressman for not checking in for more detail before the post.

Cynthia Kurtz, the former city manager of Pasadena, is slated to take over as the interim city manager of Covina. The story will be in tomorrow's paper.

Covina fired its city manager about a month ago for unspecified reasons. I used to cover the city, and there were an awful lot of people who thought the man, Paul Phillips, was abrasive and insulting. In fact, at one of the first meetings I went to, Phillips more or less directly called an audience member a liar (though it is perfectly possible that she was, or at least an exaggerator, but come on, a little subtlety goes a long way for a public servant.)

I wasn't here when Kurtz was city manager, but I've certainly heard she was very direct, in-charge, and not afraid to knock some heads together when she felt it was necessary.

Still, I am guessing the city of Covina badly wants her to stay on permanently, since they are very eager to copy the economic development and urban density model that Pasadena mastered over the last 20 years or so. They want downtown Covina to be a smaller version of Pasadena, essentially, so I can see why they wanted to get Kurtz in the job, even if it is only as interim manager.

Alfred Lee has the story in today's paper (and online). The short summary: Pasadena's violent crime is up 22 percent, even as property crime dropped. How did the city compare with surrounding areas? Alfred gets into that lower in the story:

After Pasadena, Alhambra reported the area's next-highest number of violent crimes in 2007, with 285. That was a slight decrease from 2006, when 297 such crimes were reported.

Crime numbers increased in Los Angeles County as a whole in 2007, with violent crimes and property crimes rising about 7 percent and 2 percent from the year before.

I don't see any pattern. I wonder if any crime experts have ever figured out if city crime rates just fluctuate by chance on an annual basis, or if there is always an explanation for it.

There are quite a few folks out there who have interest in the Dreier/Warner race that I wrote about last week. I've received a few emails, some critical, about the race, and about our coverage of Dreier in general. The irony of the emails, is that the thing some people feel angry about is that we have not given serious coverage to opponents of Dreier- which is exactly what the intent of the Warner article was in the first place.

Two other emails/calls of interest: first from the Courage Campaign, a local progressive activist group that did an admirable job last winter of pushing for county voters to get their primary ballots counted in the double-bubble debacle. They cite Congressional Quarterly voting data that indicates that Dreier voted with Bush 93.6 percent of the time, and do a summary of the votes they consider most offensive here (quick rundown: the list includes votes against renewable power, a vote against the GI Bill that would increase educational benefits to veterans, the Terry Schiavo vote, and most of the Iraq war votes).

The call of interest came from Ted Brown, the Libertarian party candidate who is also a candidate for Dreier's seat. He pointed out, rightfully, that he should be included in articles about the seat. So to give him some (limited) exposure until the next article on the race, I offered to do an online interview to run on this blog later this week. Stay tuned.

An email written to the newspaper from a Pasadena native who is running for president:

Bill Warren here in Calif. I am running for Pres. as a write-in candidate and am seeking a successful American lady for my VP running mate. Know anyone? I don;t have much time to make my announcement and file in 32 states. This is not a joke. If you are not interested, please tell me who might be that you know. I have run for US Congress twice. I am 64 years old. I am open to interviews. If you take the time to read my bio below you will discover a very unusual man. I think a man this country needs. I don't have a lot of money. I don't have a hug ego. I am not married to a rich woman. I was not raised a Muslim. I don't hang out with known criminals. I can lift both my arms over my head. I don't have an anger problem. And oh, there was a President who had no wife. James Buchanan 1857. I have just returned from living, teaching and singing in Ukraine and have been to Russia. I understand the Russians and know they are a threat. I care about people and have proven it over the years by participating at charities using my God-given musical talents. Like most Americans, I don't like the two choices we have before us. True, no American write-in candidate has ever won but then consider the fact that in the history of America, never has the Republican party had a woman VP and never has America had an African American run for President and come this far. All things are possible in America.

There is also a long list of Warren's achievements set on a time line (the highlights include time spent as a cruise line entertainer, as well as runs for congress in San Diego and Tennessee). If there is interest for readers, I can post the entire bio. Here is the entry for 2008:

2008 Bill decided to run for United States President as a 'write-in' and at present, is seeking a female to be his running mate. Preferably an African American business woman.

How about a Warren/Proctor ticket? I know he isn't an African-American businesswoman, but that would be the grassroots underdog ticket of old time. I wonder what the Warren platform is?

Oh, and if anyone wants to be his VP, please contact me and I will pass along his email.

Underscoring the vast differences between MTA officials and some of its board members, the agency was accused by board member Don Knabe for using taxpayer money to advocate for Proposition R, the half-cent sales tax measure that will (Schwarzenegger willing) appear on November's ballot.

The accusation is based on pro-Proposition R material that was on the MTA web site. It was pulled down, officials say, so lawyers can review it and see if it passes muster. From the Los Angeles Times:

Knabe said he was riding in his car when he heard a radio ad that urged people to go to the website. He said the site gave only the promotional side of the issue.

"I don't think there is any question they are promoting Proposition R," Knabe said. "I considered it outrageous."

The problem is that MTA is a taxpayer-funded organization and is not supposed to promote one side of a proposition with taxpayer funds. The states Fair Political Practices Commission is looking at this very issue right now, according to the Times:

But a recent court decision muddied the issue by stating that a communication is not a political expenditure unless the communication contains express advocacy, according to a report by the state Fair Political Practices Commission.

The truth about all this is that MTA is openly behind Proposition R, and why wouldn't they be? It is a plan they conceived that would mean major funding for their agency over 30 years. When I speak with the media relations staff they give me the outlook on the sales tax measure from the perspective that it is a good thing that they want to see succeed. And their salaries are paid by taxpayers. I think it would be impossible for the project to succeed if they were not allowed to advocate for it.... putting some pro-Proposition R material on the web site doesn't seem like that big a deal.

On the other hand, if they were to spend hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on campaign mailers in favor of the measure, that would be bad. That is what Ventura County officials apparently did for a similar tax measure a few years back (read the article for details).

The California Field Poll group released a poll today that shows that only 15 percent of registered state voters approve of the legislature, in the wake of its failure to pass a budget. That is down from 27 percent in June, and over 40 percent in March.

82 percent of voters also said the budget impasse is a serious problem, up from 68 percent in July.

Most interestingly, I think, is that among the three plans: the Democratic, Republican, and Schwarzeneggger options, there is no more agreement upon registered voters about which path to take than there is with the legislature.

However, more registered Republicans approve of the governor's plan than the Republican legislator plan (36 percent vs. 27 percent).

I don't know whether these results will have any influence over legislators willingness to hammer out a budget, but they certainly will take notice of the fact that so many voters are apparently disgruntled about the state of the state.

Last week, I blogged about Dreier's congressional opponent, Russ Warner, and noted that he might make a decent showing against Dreier in the race. Apparently the congressman has similar concerns: in the last week, the Republican Congressional Committee has honed in on the race and has opened an attack on Warner. Click here to see a scanned version of a mailer that is being sent around the 26th District.

The flier basically goes after Warner for not always paying his taxes on time, and for having his corporation's state license suspended this year. I just spoke with Warner for an upcoming article: he says the license is now active again, and was suspended briefly for late payment of a $30 annual fee. I plan to make calls to confirm this for an article that will run this weekend.

Warner, meanwhile, has been attacking Dreier on his web site, narrowing in on his overseas travel with taxpayer and campaign money. As seen on the left, a feature on his site calls the congressman "Frequent Flyer Dreier," seeking to paint him as liquor-swilling, money-grubber who lives to go on congressional junkets. They've done some thorough work adding up Dreier's travel funds, but if you look at what they've come up with, it really isn't that much: $114,000 over 27 years. It sounds big at first, but listed individual trips show Dreier spending a couple of hundred to just over $1,000 per trip.

I'm all for holding politicians accountable for wasting money on travel, but unlike our state and local legislators, members of congress have legitimate reasons to go overseas.... in fact, it would concern me if they never left the country. That, of course, is not to say that congress members don't waste money on needless travel. The devil is all in the details.

I mentioned in the last blog post that the Warner campaign ran a poll that put Dreier's lead at 49 percent to 37 percent, and showed that the lead dramatically narrows if voters hear a description of Warner's background. This week, the Dreier campaign released a poll that shows Dreier up 50 percent to 33 percent. Your guess is as good as mine for which one is more accurate. Stay tuned for more this weekend.

The old saying about the sausage factory is that it is better to avoid going there so as not to see how the sausage is made.

The same is probably true about reattaching severed digits, at least for those of a sensitive constitution. For those who are not, there is Nathan McIntire's story today on saving the finger of a boy who had it bitten off by a dog. Among the gruesome highlights-

*"I was a little bit dismayed that there was not really any extra skin hanging off the amputated finger," [Dr.]Martello said. "If there is a little bit of skin hanging off, then I can move that skin to cover the bone."

There is also a nice, gory photo, although having seen the full set of pictures personally, I can tell you the one that we published is by far the tamest.

Steve Hymon, over at the Bottleneck Blog, is on a mission to find out what transit housing costs, and whether it is a good investment for cities or not. He will be finding background information on transit apartments all over the Southland, but he has started with the Sierra Madre Villa development at the end of the Gold Line.

From Hymon:

Cost: The cheapest apartment rents $1,835 for a 585-square-foot junior one-bedroom, one-bath that is called "the Huntington." A one-bedroom, one-bath runs from $1,995 to $2,095, with sizes between 623 and 792 square feet. The least expensive two-bedroom unit rents for $2,440 and the priciest unit -- called "the Fair Oaks" goes for $3,350 a month and includes a loft. It covers 1,205 square feet. No units were set aside for low-income earners.

Transit-oriented development is a big story out in these parts with cities ranging from Monrovia to Claremont eager to invest in the potential Gold Line extension. They reckon they can bring more of the "right kind" of residents to the city by housing them near transit- upscale citizens who will walk to city stores and restaurants and use the rail line to commute.

I'm not sure anyone has figured out if this is really a winning strategy or not.

I left the following suggestions for Steve on his blog... these are the questions I would like answered:

What percentage of the apartments are rented? I'd be interested to see what you find out as you research these places.... are they actually popular enough to fill up?

I had a story in today's paper on the dilemma the Pasadena city council faces on a proposed urgent health care center. To sum it up, the city is being forced to either choose to put the clinic at a location the council feels lukewarm about, or risk losing a $500,000 grant.

I spoke with Mayor Bogaard today on the subject to get some more detail on the issue: he says the council's concerns have very much to do with community opposition to the Del Mar clinic location. That opposition is something that did not get detailed in the print version of the story (you never know what can get dropped to keep the paper from going too long), but I made sure the longer version is posted on the web.

That has made the council ask staff to look for a different site..... but according to Bogaard, none of the partners (Huntington Hospital, and some other medical entities) want to put the clinic anywhere but the Del Mar site.

The reason? The clinic would be less profitable elsewhere, says Bogaard. The partnership is looking for a location where there a reasonable percentage of insured customers.... a part of Pasadena where more people lack insurance could mean the clinic will not be financially sustainable.

If you put the dots together, that would explain why the partnership wants nothing to do with Northwest Pasadena, a way from the promise of business from well-to-do community members in neighboring Arcadia and San Marino.

Perhaps a line from the partnership's 2006 feasibility study on the sites puts it best:

"The Northwest side of Pasadena is identified as an underserved part of the city, although patients from other parts of the city might not travel to this location for care. This area is not generally considered desirable.

Good times over at Pasadena PIO Ann Erdman's blog: a Pasadena trivia game. Head for her site to play and post answers (though I am also reproducing the questions below). One problem though, Ann.... why aren't you offering a prize for the winning answers? What about a candlelit dinner with the council member of your choice? The answers on which council member the contestants want to meet for dinner could be just as interesting as the answers to the trivia. (questions below).

1. About how many people are employed by the City of Pasadena?

a) 1,200
b) 2,300
c) 3,400

2. Which three positions are hired by the City Council?

a) City Manager
b) Police Chief
c) City Clerk
d) City Treasurer
e) City Prosecutor
f) City Attorney

3. Which are the three top revenue sources to the city's budget?

a) Property tax
b) Transient occupancy tax (hotel room tax)
c) Sales tax
d) Interest income
e) Parking meters and parking tickets
f) Utility users tax

4. What three types of businesses produce the most sales tax in Pasadena?

a) Auto sales
b) Restaurants
c) Department stores
d) Gas stations
e) Grocery stores
f) Computer software companies

5. Which four properties are owned by the City of Pasadena?

a) Wrigley Mansion / Tournament of Roses headquarters
b) The Gamble House
c) Pasadena Senior Center
d) The Athenaeum at Caltech
e) Pacific Asia Museum
f) Armory Center for the Arts
g) Pasadena Playhouse

6. Which three are official, chartered business improvement districts in Pasadena, approved by the City Council?

a) Old Pasadena Management District
b) South Lake Business District
c) Playhouse District Association
d) Hastings Ranch Shopping District Association
e) East Washington Boulevard Business District

7. Which three items are not allowed in your blue-lidded recycle container?

a) Batteries
b) Phone books
c) Glass jars and bottles
d) Styrofoam
e) Plastic bags
f) Used motor oil
g) Computers

I wrote recently about a series of burglaries that took place while Realtors were showing the properties.

In the story I mention four homes, while saying that a fifth home was rumored to have been robbed. The just talked with the fifth Realtor, who was running an open house in San Marino.... he is pretty sure the burglary took place on the same day as the others, and mentions the exact same mother/daughter combo that others suspect. He said the mother was distracting him by asking him a series of tedious questions while the daughter disappeared.

Also, an Altadena woman wrote in and said something similar happened to her a few years back.

Lastly, I got an interesting email from a local writer:

I wrote and produced an indie musical feature titled "Open House" a few years ago with my friend Dan Mirvish. A big element of the film are "Sexy Swipers," faux-home shoppers who attend open houses for the thrill of "getting it on" while the home owners' backs are turned. They also steal. The film was largely shot in San Marino. Though "sexy swiping" was a phenomenon Dan and I concocted from thin air, I wonder if the heists in Pasadena are cases of life imitating art.

Might be a little of a stretch, since nobody has accused the suspects of copulation in the homes that they burgled, but you never know.

The latest from the candidate that must be keeping Victor Gordo up at night:

Good luck with the race Aaron, but how are you going to answer charges from the Gordo campaign that you are a carpetbagger? After all, you just moved to District 5.

Our intrepid reporter, Robert Hong, attended a last-minute press conference today where Gov. Schwarzenegger addressed local officials in Burbank. Both the Pasadena officials invited to attend, ultimately canceled, I suspect because they thought the event was a meaningless photo opportunity.

Hong attended, and said the governor took few questions, and largely spent his time blaming state legislators for not passing a budget.

In fact, Hong said, that of the four questions Arnold answered, one of them was on what he thought of Sarah Palin's speech. This was asked by a TV reporter. Robert said, in fact, he was the only print reporter that was there, which would probably explain the quality of the questions.

Robert is currently struggling to figure out what exactly the story of the event is.

UPDATE: Supervisor Michael Antonovich, who really wants the public to know he was photographed with Gov. Schwarzenegger today, just send out the picture in a press release. Also pictured, as most will observe, is Sheriff Lee Baca.

I'm working on a totally separate MTA story, the details of which I am saving for later, but in the mean time here is yet another key little nugget on the MTA plan to convert carpool lanes to toll lanes.

I reported (and I am pretty certain broke the news) that the MTA said it is comiiting itself to allowing carpools to use the toll lanes for free. Three-person carpools would be able to use the 10 freeway for free during rush hour, and two-person carpools and up would be allowed to use them for free on off-peak times.

Several legislative staff members from politicans who oppose the plan, have pointed out, however, that the following language in the MTA's agreement with the federal government, would seem to forbid the MTA from allowing two-person carpools to drive in the toll lanes for free:

(iii) The Partner Agencies agree that, except for the HOT lanes on the 110 Freeway, (i) none of the HOT Lanes shall be accessible by vehicles carrying two persons for a fee that is less than the fee payable for access by vehicles carrying one person (or for no fee)

I spoke with Stephanie Wiggins, the MTA official who is charged with leading the toll lane project, about it and she said the MTA is still committed to keeping the two-carpool lane option free, even if it meant changing language in the agreement with the federal government. However, she did say she does not believe that the above language prevents a two-person carpool for riding for free.

I wouldn't want to bet a lawsuit on that, personally, and I am sure the MTA will agree. Expect to see the agreement change, or the MTA pull back on its commitment to the two-person carpool riding for free.

The LPGA, a.k.a the Ladies Professional Golf Association, for those like me who don't pay attention to the sport, recently caused some controversy by demanding that its players, who include many native Koreans, speak English.

In their defense, the move is apparently not motivated by zealotry, but by good-old fashioned greed. From ESPN magazine:

LPGA commissioner Carolyn Bivens has spoken of her desire to "brand" like NASCAR.

"If these players don't take this step [and learn English]," she told Golf World, "their ability to earn a living is reduced. They will be cut out of corporate and endorsement opportunities."

To which, ESPN sensibly responds:

But what if Korean athletes don't strive to be branded in America? What if they only want to play and win? What if they don't feel comfortable back-slapping with sponsors and gabbing for the cameras?

Anyway, what this has to do with the San Gabriel Valley is that a local couple (literally) of politicans have been railing against the rules.

Assemblyman Mike Eng, D-Monterey Park, has been at it for a week or so already.

Now, his wife, Board of Equalization member Dr. Judy Chu, is chiming in. A press release from her office:

"Archaic and discriminatory rules such as this one serve only to put players at a disadvantage based solely on their ethnicity and/or nationality, and are in complete contravention of the ultimate goal of sports - to unite people through the universal appeal of sportsmanship and competition, regardless of race, color, gender, language or religion."

I don't want to wade too far into national politics on the blog, particularly on as divisive a subject as Sarah Palin, but I thought a New York Times article today on her tenure as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska is a good read.

Basically, if the words of former city officials is to be believed, Palin did a lot of questionable things. Things that if they were done by a local mayor, would have us running a lot of front-page articles.

For example, officials say that Palin raised the possibility about banning books at the local library. Later in her tenure, the town's librarian was fired, perhaps for resisting the plan:

Shortly after becoming mayor, former city officials and Wasilla residents said, Ms. Palin approached the town librarian about the possibility of banning some books, though she never followed through and it was unclear which books or passages were in question.

Ann Kilkenny, a Democrat who said she attended every City Council meeting in Ms. Palin's first year in office, said Ms. Palin brought up the idea of banning some books at one meeting. "They were somehow morally or socially objectionable to her," Ms. Kilkenny said.

The librarian, Mary Ellen Emmons, pledged to "resist all efforts at censorship," Ms. Kilkenny recalled. Ms. Palin fired Ms. Emmons shortly after taking office but changed course after residents made a strong show of support. Ms. Emmons, who left her job and Wasilla a couple of years later, declined to comment for this article.

In 1996, Ms. Palin suggested to the local paper, The Frontiersman, that the conversations about banning books were "rhetorical."

Then, there were the loyalty tests:

Once in office, Ms. Palin asked many of Mr. Stein's backers to resign -- something virtually unheard of in Wasilla in past elections. The public works director, city planner, museum director and others were forced out. The police chief, Irl Stambaugh, was later fired outright.

Mr. Stambaugh lost a wrongful termination lawsuit against Ms. Palin. He did not respond to a request for an interview.

This one is a little bizarre to me. Down here in the lower 48, or at least California, city employees mostly have the good sense to not overtly support one candidate over the other. It is definitely not unheard of for one political faction down here to rid the city of officials who supported their adversaries (here's looking at you Montebello). But it definitely doesn't look great for Palin, or for any other city official who fires staff that were fans of the old regime.

Finally, there is the open partisanship that Palin displayed in running for a non-partisan office, something which we see very little of here in the SGV.

The traditional turning points that had decided municipal elections in this town of less than 7,000 people -- Should we pave the dirt roads? Put in sewers? Which candidate is your hunting buddy? -- seemed all but obsolete the year Ms. Palin, then 32, challenged the three-term incumbent, John C. Stein.

Anti-abortion fliers circulated. Ms. Palin played up her church work and her membership in the National Rifle Association. The state Republican Party, never involved before because city elections are nonpartisan, ran advertisements on Ms. Palin's behalf.

Anyway, I was a little surprised to see how controversial her tenure as a small town mayor was. It's obvious she was already thinking about higher office when she was there (the article details her efforts to hire a lobbyist and bring federal money to the town).

Of course, ultimately, Plain will be judged through the partisan lense: Republicans will minimize any infractions she might have committed as mayor, while Democrats will look to enlarge them.

The SGV is, for the most part, divided into congressional districts that are so uncompetitive that there are few serious candidates for office besides the incumbent party's candidate.

That said, this week we'll be taking a look at Russ Warner, who is challenging David Dreier, R-San Dimas, for his seat.

Dreier has easily won re-election every year since his original election in 1980, and there isn't any strong evidence that suggests that Warner, a local businessman, can knock him off.

However, Warner has raised a lot of money ($522,000) and has loaned his campaign almost $200,000 more. That's enough to mount a serious campaign, and in a year where the country is leaning more Democratic he might be able to pull himself a little closer to Dreier than he otherwise would have.

Still, in a district that favored President Bush by a 55 to 44 percent margin in 2004, is not likely to kick out a Republican incumbent unless he does something notably foolish in the coming months. Dreier, who has been on the national stage for years, is not likely to do that.

Also, for what it is worth, the Warner campaign has conducted some internal polling that shows that McCain is leading Obama 47 percent to 44 percent in this election, suggesting the district is becoming more open to Democratic candidates. The poll puts Dreier up 49 percent to 37 percent, though it also states that Warner gets 44 percent of the vote to Dreier's 47 percent once respondents hear a "positive" biography of each candidate.

Their point is that Warner is unknown, and that if he were better known he could narrow Dreier's lead. Far be it from me to keep District 26 residents from knowing their candidates, so consider this our introduction of him.