Todd: February 2008 Archives

Speaking of planetaria ... as of last month the Griffith Observatory dispensed with the reservations and shuttles, making spontaneous visitation possible again.

Drove up and parked right in the old lot at the top last night. With the major renovation work being subterranean, the structure's footprint is little changed, and the interior still offers an unchanged, intimate experience. After more than a year, a couple of the exhibits no longer functioned, which struck a sentimental chord with me.

Hollywood mega-director Steven Spielberg has turned his back on China by withdrawing as the director of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Reuters reports today.

By Bob Tourtellotte and Paul Eckert

LOS ANGELES/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Oscar-winning film director Steven Spielberg withdrew on Tuesday as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing over China's policy on the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

"I find that my conscience will not allow me to continue business as usual," Spielberg said in a statement issued on a day when Nobel Peace laureates sent a letter to China's president urging a change in policies toward its ally Sudan.

"At this point, my time and energy must be spent not on Olympic ceremonies, but on doing all I can to help bring an end to the unspeakable crimes against humanity that continue to be committed in Darfur," he added.

Perhaps there were too many parallels with another standards-defining film auteur, Heroine* of the Third Reich Leni Riefenstahl, who also spent the final arc of her career focused on the Sudan.

* Fixed, though I kind of liked the metaphoric appeal of "heroin."

It will take a trial to determine whether there's any truth to charges traveling educator Daniel Roy Smith touched students inappropriately at San Gabriel's Washington Elementary last month.

Either way, it wouldn't be surprising if schools rethink the practice of sending children into portable, enclosed and darkened theaters with a third-party contractor. (Picture of "the bubble" at the preceding link.)

Of course statistics show most sexual abuse occurs at the home, by family or friends. Although I won't be covering the trial any further, I got the sense in court Monday that the defense is likely to bring that fact up and try arguing that Smith -- who has pleaded innocent -- was a convenient scape-goat.

(Picture is copyright Mobile Productions Inc., linked here under fair use provisions.)

At the risk of out-nerding the nerds of The Weak, one observation regarding their latest, incremental update on the arrest of Beijing float protester Andrew Koenig, son of Star Trek's Walter Koenig:

It's Lt. Chekov, not "Checkov."

At least Chekhov would have netted the right nationality and lent a convenient literary defense!

Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-Pasadena, formally let the world know today that come March 11, he'd like the job being vacated by House Speaker Fabian Nunez.

Assemblymember Anthony Portantino Announces Candidacy for Assembly Speaker

SACRAMENTO, CA – Today Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge) announced his intention to run for the position of Assembly Speaker.

“With the date now set by the Caucus, I would like formally announce my candidacy for Speaker of the Assembly. I intend to meet with my Assembly Democratic colleagues to make my case on how to move California forward. I believe my performance to date and my positive, consensus-building approach to tackling California’s challenges shows I have something to offer,” Portantino said in announcing his bid.

The Assembly Democratic Caucus today agreed to hold a vote for Speaker on March 11th.

Despite being a freshman legislator, Anthony arrived in Sacramento with heavy-weight status, drawing attention from the party apparatus for the enormous sum of cash he raised.

Anthony really had no chance of losing to his opponents in late 2006, but raised the money just to show that he could. Trying to find my story from the time but it seems to have escaped the grasp of our internal archive.

Not a lot of attention was paid to Proposition 93, but now that the term limit "tweak" has been defeated, all the uncertain political futures -- from lines of succession to chamber migration -- can be cast.

Voters kept pols like state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, from having to make a decision on whether to seek another term -- he's out. Sighs of relief from the likes of former Assemblywoman Carol Liu who can move forward with seeking his seat as planned.

Now for something completely silly.

I often get copied on e-mails pertaining to back-and-forth disputes, from topics serious to insane.

Recently, my inbox has witnessed a quiet feud between Lisa Derderian and Ann Erdman, of the Pasadena Fire Department and City Hall, respectively.

Both women are heads of public information duties, and it's precisely their heads at stake -- at least what's on them.

From what I've been able to reconstruct, Lisa sent this photo to Ann to rub in just how awesome her PIO helmet is:

Gripped with jealousy, Ann put her leet crafting skills to work to forge a helm worthy of her station:

Maybe now that Measure D has passed, they can give that thing a proper retrofit.

Two days after Tuesday's historic mega-primary, Thursday brings us another defining moment: Probably the last time Measure D will be mentioned in print. Story below.

Didn't have a breakdown of vote-by-mails and PAVs versus actual votes cast Tuesday night. Political consultant Fred Register said the results showed support had narrowed in the ensuing weeks -- but not enough to drop below a majority of support.

In other news, Tuesday night also saw the first class I'm teaching at the University of La Verne. Polling the group to find out what sources they get their news from, one erudite student shouted -- "Your blog!"

I'm seeing a bright future for that one.

Voters OK user tax, bond measures
By Caroline An and Kenneth Todd Ruiz, Staff Writers
Article Launched: 02/06/2008 10:50:22 PM PST

PASADENA -- Anxiety over the economy didn't stop voters from agreeing to be taxed in Pasadena and giving generously to schools in San Gabriel.

After all the votes were counted early Wednesday morning, Pasadena's utility user tax was passed by a comfortable margin, with 58 percent of 30,860 voters supporting it.

"We all recognize that the Internet is a new technology that is changing the face of today's world and avoiding taxation of this new technology is a good policy," said Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard. "Pasadena simply wants to maintain a tax on telephone services that has been in place for 40 years."

If you haven't voted yet, it's an historic opportunity to do so.

We've got a woman, a Morman, an African American and another man who makes Pasadena Mayor Bill Bogaard look a very young 170-year-old.

Doesn't the New York Times editorial board know this villainous slander makes JingJing(tm) a Sad Panda?

Improving its human rights record isn’t China’s only unmet commitment to the International Olympic Committee. It also promised to improve air quality. Now athletes and their coaches are figuring out how to spend as little time as possible in China’s smog-swamped capital, where they may need masks to breathe.

Beijing also made empty commitments about press freedoms. China has failed to lift fully the reporting restrictions on foreign journalists, including limits on their ability to move freely about the country. Local journalists are as restricted as ever. There has also been increased censorship of the Internet.

The Olympic Committee has not made public its formal contract with Beijing. But a new book called “China’s Great Leap,” edited by Minky Worden, media director for Human Rights Watch, reports that Beijing sought to strengthen its bid by telling the committee — specifically — that awarding it the Games would facilitate human rights progress.

With the Games approaching, China has instead expanded its crackdown on dissidents, tightened controls over nongovernmental organizations and rounded up “undesirables,” such as migrants and the mentally ill.

"Walt's a savage!," reporter Robert S. Hong declares after spending a day careening around No Man's Land. It's a label of respect from Robert after seeing the gadget-dripping man in action.

That characterization would strike the many who've met veteran Star-News photographer Walt Mancini as unlikely, however. Good-hearted, generous and kind are the labels usually with the easy-going Pasadenan.

But don't be fooled. He's a fearless, steel-nerved photojournalist and if you try to tell him not to take a picture ... well ... I don't recommend it.

Reporters of the news strive to avoid being news makers, but occasionally the simple act of asking a question -- thus transmitting information -- can impact events.

On Tuesday morning I expected to embrace the pain of Measure D one more time and write another story after receiving an invitation from City Hall to meet and discuss "misinformation" about the utility user tax vote.So I made the obligatory call to Measure-D-hatin' Martin Truitt and asked if either he or Wayne Lusvardi either knew about it, were invited to debate points of fact or planned to attend.

They were not. But decided to do so -- precipitating an incident at City Hall as reported in this 'Weak.

Funny thing was, I never made it to the meeting as management asked me around noon to take lead on the Monrovia/No Man's Land violence.

UPDATED: Of course, it's entirely possible Andrë picked up the phone and did the same!

Been meaning to post about entertainment reporter and Arcadia resident Scott Hettrick's "Arcadia's Best" newsletter. (Warning: As head [former?] of Arcadia Wins! Scott is a dangerous, Caruso-friendly man!)

Haven't had a chance to mention much of anything, let alone Saturday's story about the bustle at Obama HQ in Old Pasadena, but the Schiff->Armenian->Obama trickle-down support bore out somewhat on Thursday:

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) endorsed Barack Obama as the Democratic candidate best positioned to bring fundamental change to how the United States addresses issues of special concern to Armenian American voters.

"The Armenian National Committee of America is proud today to endorse Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States," said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian. "Based on his strong record in office, his bold statements as a candidate, and our judgment as to the policies he will pursue as President, we believe that, among a strong field of Democratic candidates, Senator Obama will best reflect the views and values of Armenian American voters."

The official announcement came during a press conference held at the ANCA Western Region headquarters, featuring remarks by Obama supporters, Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) and L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti as well as ANCA National Board Member Raffi Hamparian and Armenians for Obama Chairwoman Nora Hovsepian.

The magic of video.

Only a few days ago I was discussing with Dolores Hickambottom how many years ago, the Star-News would publish quotes from Elbie Hickambottom with every phonetic detail of his stutter intact. I told her how we endeavor to not polish the grammar and speech of some sources by quoting them with the same accuracy as everyone else.

After describing recent reprisal killings in his city as "pretty bad," Monrovia Mayor Rob Hammond's quote, as per Friday's story, "The bugle call went out and the cavalry is here," didn't make it into our video from the morning press conference.

I suspected that quote may have been incorrect after viewing the footage from the grassroots conference -- featuring the two parents of the rampage's most recent teen victims -- on the rough, grass lawn where Brandon Lee was shot Tuesday.

In that video, Rob in fact says the "Calvary" has been called. Bizarre Biblical reference ftw?

Politicians are uniformly strange creatures to observe, and reporters take a certain fascination with their idiosyncrasies. Rob showed up after the parents' conference had started, lingering to the side. But once the television cameras began rolling, he not-so-subtly inserted himself into the front row by shaking the hand of Khalid Shah, then turned around to take up a grim-faced, camera-framed position next to Jeanette Chavez, mother of 16-y-o murder victim Sammantha Salas.

Not to say his sentiments weren't sincere. But whether they were or weren't seemed secondary, at best.