June 2007 Archives

Sen. Hillary Clinton announced the formation of the campaign’s National Hispanic Leadership Council with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa serving as national co-chair.

Clinton also named the group's Executive Committee, whicfh her campaign said shows her support amontg Latinos. Th eannouncement cam ein Orland, Fla., where she was participating a presidential forum during the 4th Annual Conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).

The Executive Committee, comprised of national and local leaders from across the country, will serve as an advisory board for the campaign on issues important to the Latino community and will play an active role reaching out and organizing Hispanics in their communities and across the country.

“I am honored to be joined by so many leaders that have dedicated their lives to advocating for better education for our children, access to health care, civil and voting rights and advancing economic opportunities not only for Latinos, but for all Americans,” Clinton said. “With their support, we will continue taking our message of change across the country.”

Executive committtee members from Calkifornia include:

Fabián Núñez, California Assembly Speaker

Rep. Grace F. Napolitano (CA-38)

Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34)

Dolores Huerta, Co-Founder, United Farm Workers Union, Human Rights Activist

California members of her leadership council include"

State Assemblymember Anna M. Caballero, Salinas

State Assemblymember Charles M. Calderon, City of Industry

State Assemblymember Kevin de Leon, Los Angeles

Honorable Maria Echaveste, DNC Member, Berkeley

State Assemblymember Edward P.Hernandez, West Covina

City Attorney Dennis J. Herrera, San Francisco

State Assemblymember Tony Mendoza, Norwalk

Honorable Mirian Saez, San Francisco

State Assemblymember Mary Salas, Chula Vista

State Assemblymember Jose Solorio, Anaheim

Hon. Irene Flores, Garvey School District, Garvey School District

Mayor Elba Guerrero, Huntington Park

Mayor Manuel Lozano, Baldwin Park

Mayor Ray Soleno, Reedley

Mayor Robert Fierro, Commerce

Mayor Ray Luna, Santa Paula

Mayor Daniel Furtado, Campbell

Former Mayor Joaquin Gonzalez, Hanford

Former Mayor Leticia Vasquez, Lynwood

Former Mayor Ofelia Hernandez, Huntington Park

Former Mayor Juan Noguez, Huntington Park

Former Mayor Frank Quintero, Glendale

Former Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez, San Jose

Former Mayor Emelina Pedras, Lynwood

Former Mayor Diane Martinez, Paramount

Rosalie Alvarado, National School District, San Diego

Mayor John Huerta, Greenfield

Former Mayor Maria Davila, Southgate

George Aaron Aguilar, San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District

Even in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's supposed era of post-partisanship, lawmakers once again will not approve a state budget by today's constitutional deadline.Harrison Sheppard in the Daily News.

Republican and Democratic lawmakers said Friday they are still stuck over several key issues, including cuts to public transportation and social services and early repayment of state debt.

Though lawmakers approved a $140 billion budget out of a conference committee, Republicans voted against it, saying they were about $2 billion apart and suggesting the differences could lead to protracted budget negotiations.

"It's important to know that we are ready to approve a budget that's balanced," said Dennis Hollingsworth, R-Temecula, the ranking Republican on the Senate budget committee. "Unfortunately, this falls short of that goal."

Democrats said they produced a balanced budget by cutting at least $1 billion beyond what they would have liked, not raising taxes or creating new social programs, and keeping Schwarzenegger's $2.1 billion reserve intact — while restoring welfare funding for children and the elderly, blind and disabled.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. beset with problms over issues related to his wife's driving of his car, became the latest public official facing a recall threat.

Former county employee Andrew Ahlering — who is also organizing the effort to recall Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca — said Friday he has started a Web site: www.recalldelgadillo.com.A recall drive also has been launced against Councilman Jack Weiss by unhappy residents in his district.

Delgadillo admitted last week that he allowed his wife, who had a suspended license, to drive his city-owned SUV. She damaged the vehicle in 2004 and Delgadillo had it fixed at city expense and only reimbursed the city $1,222 for the repairs last week after questioned by reporters.

The Los Angeles County Grand jury on Friday blasted county departments for failing to fund an abuse-prevention program and share crucial information on children in county custody even as the number of slayings of abused children more than tripled.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Despite efforts to reform the child protective system, jurors wrote in their report that they are profoundly concerned that the number of slayings soared from 15 in 2003 to 53 in 2006.

"The Grand Jury concludes that the threat to abused and neglected children within the county remains a serious concern," jurors wrote.

"It recognizes the efforts ... to provide care and security for such children, but it has determined that the existing system of information exchange is not adequate, and, indeed puts some children unnecessarily at risk."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is off this weekend on another quick trip -- this time to Philadelphia to address members of the National Education Association, kicking off the organization's minority community outreach campaign during a keynote address.

The NEA Grassroots and Media Minority Community Outreach Campaign is designed to engage minority communities in support of public education. Villaraigosa will headline the official launch of the new initiative, aimed at efforts to reach out to the American Indian, Alaska Native, AsianPacific Islander, African-American, Latino, Carribean and African populations in cities across the United States.

Since taking office, Villaraigosa has made education reform a top priority. Even though legislation giving him broader powers in the school district was invalidated by the courts, he supported a number of candidates who agreed with him on educational issues and who are taking control of the Los Angeles Board of Edudation.

MSNBC correspondent Mika Brzezinski is shaking up broadcast journalism this week by refusing to lead the newscast on the sunrise show "Morning Joe" with yet another story about Paris Hilton checking out of the Graybar Hotel.

Her Washington pedigree -- she's the daughter of President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, Zbignew Brzezinski -- shown through as she refused to pander to the increasingly poor judgment of her own producer and news managers everywhere and instead tried to advance to the second story in her queue, the one about prominent Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana calling on President Bush to rethink his Iraq war strategy.

"Why is she such a journalist?" host Joe Scarborough wondered aloud while she attempted to torch the Hilton pages, then ripped them and later fed another copy into the shredder behind her. The question, Joe, is why aren't there more like her on television?

Not many will have seen Mika's furor as it aired live before 6 a.m.., but it's all over You Tube.

The Los Angeles County Grand Jury released its annual report today, finding continuing problems with the children welfare system, medication errors at public hospitals, a "lack of any sense of urgency" to prepare for terrorist attacks or other disasters and other problems with county government.

Some of chapter titles include:
- Avoiding Code Blue -- Safeguard for Patient Medications
- Juvenile Custodies: Are We Paying Twice
- Crisis in Communication -- Preventing Child Fatality and Maltreatment
- Emergency Rooms and Clinics -- Who Pays?
- Triple Jeopardy-- Abandoned, Neglected and Abused Children of LA County
- LAHSA -- the Struggle to Serve
- Sanitation Districts of LA County -- From Problems to Progress
- Solar and Alternative Energy - An Idea Whose Time Has Come.

In a move expected to spur Los Angeles Unified and other districts across the country to re-evaluate racial-integration programs, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday restricted the use of race in assigning students to schools. Harrison Sheppard in the Daily News.

The 5-4 ruling from Washington, D.C., leaves the door open for the limited use of race to achieve diversity in schools, but some decried the decision as a step toward weakening landmark integration reforms of five decades ago.

Analysts also said the sharply split decision in two cases, affecting students assigned to schools in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle, could imperil similar plans in hundreds of districts nationwide.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials said they are still reviewing the cases with outside legal counsel but believe the decision should have no immediate effect on the district's current court-ordered integration plan.

LAUSD General Counsel Kevin Reed said the district is operating under a court-ordered integration plan, dating back to 1982, that has already been upheld by the U.S. Suipreme Court.

Class is in session. Capitol Notes.

Remember this rule: the one who seals a controversial political deal, and then gets it...

* Quickly into print as a bill...

* Approved by a hurriedly convened committee...

* Moved from the floor of one chamber to the next...

* And all done fast enough to keep interest groups from taking whacks at the deal.

The Los Angeles Unified school board unanimously adopted a $6.2 billion budget Thursday that eliminates hundreds of administrative positions, mostly from the district's downtown headquarters.Naush Boghossian in the Daily News.

Superintendent David Brewer III said his goal for the 2007-08 fiscal plan, his first, was to keep the focus on teaching while trying to make up for a $95 million shortfall and find money for his plans to reorganize and transform the district.

Meanwhile, over at the MTA:

Featuring eight more Rapid bus lines and 100 new 60-foot buses, Metro's $3.1 billion budget was approved Thursday by its board for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Sunday. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Sunday is also the start of fare increases on Metro's buses and rails — a hike that some groups this week unsuccessfully challenged to stall in court with a restraining order.

The Los Angeles anning Commission adopted a "mansionization" ordinance Thursday that limits the size of prospective "McMansions" and mini-palaces in most communities. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

While some residents complained that the rule would still allow new houses to tower over their bungalow and ranch neighbors, planning commissioners said the law would balance the demand for big homes with the need to preserve neighborhood character.

"Los Angeles has an excellent, diverse heritage, socioeconomically, culturally and ethnically," said commission President Jane Usher. "We are all looking to this ordinance to help us preserve that richness."

The proposed ordinance now goes to the City Council for review.

Called the Baseline Mansionization Ordinance, the new rule would limit house size based on the lot size and zoning. For example, on a typical 5,000-square-foot lot, a property owner can now build a 7,000-square-foot house. The proposed ordinance would allow a house on that lot size to range from 2,500 to 3,000 square feet.

With the state Assembly joining in approval of compacts for Indan gaming, the Los Angeles labor movement -- one of the most powerful in the state -- is focusing its anger on some key members with long ties to them and sounding a warner shot.

“I hope that our leaders can begin to understand the ramifications of granting the casinos the right to the largest expansion in the history of our state with no worker protections for at least 23 years. I hope that they can begin to comprehend that our middle class is shrinking and not thriving. For some proof of this, I invite them to visit with some of our casino workers – meet with them at one of the two jobs they have to work at just to make ends meet. Maybe then they will realize that they have the sovereign responsibility to protect California’s workers and not just the number of slot machines found in the casinos.”

Among those the union had targeted for support was Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, who once served as political director of the organization.

Sen. Ted Kennedy showed some protective family spirit this morning when colleagues tried to rope his niece’s husband, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, into a debate on social security benefits paid to illegal immigrants.

Blasting an amendment that would have restricted the receipt of such benefits, Kennedy said the measure written by Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign would have required the Social Security Administration delve into the work history of every immigrant to the U.S. – legal and illegal.

“It would have them investigate Henry Kissinger and possibly Tom Tancredo’s parents,’’ Kennedy said, referring to the famously hard-line lawmaker whose parents immigrated from Italy.

``And Schwarzenegger!” another senator in the room chimed in.

``Now you’re getting personal,’’ Kennedy retorted.

The amendment was prevented from coming to the floor, and Ensign opposed the overall bill, helping to lead to the immigration overhaul’s death later in the day.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, a child of the Los Angeles labor movement, is getting some heat from his former bosses.
The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, where Nunez once served as political director, is putting pressure on him to oppose the measures approving several Indian gaming compacts because they lack enforceable worker protections.
The labor unions long have been trying to organize the casino workers.
The Assembly is scheduled to vote today on four measures.
Union leaders say none "have had a public hearing, no opportunity for worker representatives to publicly express their strong concerns with them. These compacts lack enforceable worker protections, will leave a generation of workers in California’s fastest growing service sector without the protection of state and federal laws or a union contract. "

Former Lt. Gov. Mike Curb, who had a brief fling in politics after building a career with what was known as bubble gum pop music, is getting his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Curb will receive the 2,341st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday, honoring his work as a songwriter, producer and record company owner.
Singer Pat Boone and disc jockey Casey Kasem will join Curb in speaking in the late-morning ceremony in front of Capitol Records.

Curb will receive his star on the day Curb Records releases the soundtrack for the film "Evan Almighty," last weekend's box office champion.

Born Dec. 24, 1944, in Savannah, Ga., Curb began performing with his own bands as a student at Grant High School in Van Nuys.

As a freshman at what is now Cal State Northridge, working in the practice rooms of the Department of Music building, Curb wrote, "You Meet the Nicest People on a Honda," which help boost its motorcycle sales.
Curb was lieutentant governor ujnder former Gov. Edmung G. (Jerry) Brown and sparked controversy for, among other things, trying to make judicial appointments when Brown traveled out of the state.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants reporters to know he's nothing if not discreet.

About his lobbying efforts, of course! Why? what did you think we were talking about?

In Washington D.C. to tout immigration reform, Villaraigosa acknowledged he will be meeting with Democratic senators still on the fence about the bill. But with whom exactly is Villaraigosa meeting?

"I don't want to kiss and tell,'' the mayor said. Ok, then.

In a tense exchange with county supervisors, Sheriff Lee Baca defended his handling of celebrity heiress Paris Hilton on Tuesday and said Hilton's 23-day prison stay was longer than most inmates with similar sentences. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The confrontation came little more than 12 hours after Hilton strode out of jail, renewing public criticism about Baca's defiance of a judicial order earlier this month when he let the celeb go after serving just three days of a 45-day sentence for driving offenses.

An angry judge ordered Hilton returned to jail, where she stayed until Tuesday just after midnight.

But Baca vehemently denied any favoritism Tuesday and said he feared for Hilton's life when he released her early.

He also cited data that show an overcrowded prison system in which many inmates serve far less time than their actual sentence.

"The data shows there wasn't any preferential treatment," Baca said. "In fact, the preferential treatment given to Paris Hilton is that she served more time than anyone else for this offense."

OK, so City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has taken some hits lately. There was his wife's suspended license, his year-long lack of car insurance and city staff baby-sitting his kids. But the clouds parted briefly for him on Tuesday when filmaker and provocateur Michael Moore gave Rocky a big shout out for prosecuting Kaiser Permanente for patient dumping on Skid Row.

During a press conference on the steps of City Hall to promote the release of his documentary, Sicko, on the nation's health care crisis, Moore singled out Delgadillo's effort to penalize medical providers for dropping homeless patients (some still wearing their hospital gowns) downtown.

"I'm so proud of the city attorney of this city for going after (Kaiser) on criminal charges," Moore said. "These are large million-dollar and in some cases billion-dollar hospital corporations, and to treat people like that, well, it's not the way we were raised was it?"

Under a settlement with Delgadillo's office, Kaiser agreed to establish new discharge rules and protocols for handling the release of homeless patients.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is traveling to Washington, D.C. on Wednesday to urge Congress to adopt bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform legislation.

Villaraigosa will join Senators Ted Kennedy, Mel Martinez, Arlen Specter, Dianne Feinstein and Ken Salazar, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez and Arizona Gov.Janet Napolitano for a press conference to support the legislation.

The Senate is considering a bill that secures the border, restores the rule of law and offers a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already living and working in the United States.

Mayor Villaraigosa will urge Senators to support this proposal and address the challenge of illegal immigration with tough, fair and practical measures.

City Ethics Commissioner Bill Boyarsky talks about the eduction he is receiving constantly in his role as a city Ethics Commissioner as well as being on the other side of the news business. He writes on his blog:

The Rocky Delgadillo story is another milestone in my education as an ethics commissioner. We have a rule on the commission: We five commissioners are not supposed to comment
publicly—maybe even privately—on alleged violations that may come before us for a vote.
No other city commission is so restricted. We’re supposed to be like judges. "

Here he is on the cover of Time magazine. There he is in Europe, meeting with world leaders. Next, he'll be popping up in India.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, never known for his low profile, is once again receiving attention on the world stage this week, both as he visits Europe and as bizarre speculation simmers about the possibility of a vice-presidential bid. Harrison Sheppard reports on the governor's travels.

Schwarzenegger visited his hometown in Austria with his daughter Katherine over the weekend and then met with new French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday to talk about trade and global warming, and lay the groundwork for a more extensive European trade mission next year. Today he is meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Since taking office in 2003, Schwarzenegger has also traveled to Canada, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan and Mexico, mostly to promote trade and tourism.

He is also planning a trip to India later this year and a trade mission to Europe next year. He has also signed agreements on climate change with leaders of foreign nations and provinces.

A majority of California voters favors the proposed ballot measure altering legislative term limits, according to a new poll by the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State University.
When read the official ballot language describing the measure on term limits, 56% of
voters said they favor the term limits initiative, 28% are opposed and 15% were undecided. This
represents an increase from 51% in favor and 36% against, recorded by SPRI in March 2007
when the measure was summarized for respondents because official ballot language had not been
released.

If the grocery union's vote to authorize a strike against the chain markets has you running out to stock your pantry, breathe easy. Julia Scott in the Daily News.

The strike vote passed overwhelmingly Sunday, according to a United Food and Commercial Workers spokesman, but a strike against Vons, Ralphs and Albertson's is not imminent. Neither is a worker lockout.

Both sides have many ways to up the ante without locking out workers or striking.

The unions can:

Call for a sick-in.

Disrupt the work flow by following job descriptions to the letter of the law. Baggers could meticulously sort goods before packing items and stockers could spend so much time aligning canned goods that the shelves would be half empty.

Cancel the contract, but not strike. This worked for Dallas and Houston grocery unions, which got a contract after canceling the deal, according to a union Web site www.respectufcw.com.

The chains can:

Make workers nervous by hiring new, nonunion workers. Boosting the ranks is important because unemployment is so low the chains will have a hard time finding replacement workers at a moment's notice.

Stockpile goods so the flow of deliveries is not affected by a job
Advertisement
action.

In the wake of Sheriff Lee Baca's decision to defy a judge's order and let Paris Hilton
out of jail early, a poll released Monday found more than 50 percent of Los Angeles County residents are dissatisfied with the sheriff's leadership, management and judgment. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The KRC Research poll of 303 adults from June 12-14, conducted at the behest of the 8,000-member Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs, found 68 percent thought he showed poor judgment in releasing Hilton to home confinement and 80 percent believe people with money, power or celebrity get better treatment from the Sheriff's Department than the average citizen.

The survey follows a similar one taken prior to the Hilton brouhaha in which nearly 70 percent of sheriff's deputies said they disapproved of Baca's management of the department and only 14 percent said they would support the sheriff for re-election.

"Taken together, these surveys are disturbing," ALADS President Steve Remige said. "The message to the sheriff from the people he serves and from the deputies who serve under him is that he needs to do a lot better. We are willing to work with the sheriff to help improve the department and rescue his reputation."

The survey surprised political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe. Baca was re-elected to his third term last June with 67 percent of the vote.

"When it's a private poll, I'm very skeptical of taking the results at face value," Jeffe said.

Hoping to eliminate the need for hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes to bail out state pensions and health care benefits, former Assemblyman Keith Richman will ask voters to raise retirement ages for teachers, police officers, firefighters and other public employees. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Warning that continued inaction will bankrupt the state, Richman said Monday his plan would save $500 billion over 30 years.

"If we just keep going the way we are going, not only are some government entities going to go bankrupt and cut services, but in all likelihood there will be the need for billions of dollars in new taxes throughout the state of California," he said.

Richman's Public Employee Benefits Reform Initiative, which he has filed with the state, needs about 700,000 signatures to qualify for the ballot. Under the plan, all new public employees except those in public-safety jobs would have to work until age 65 to 67 - and police officers and firefighters would have to work to age 55 - to receive full pension benefits. Depending on years worked, some safety agencies in the state have a lower age for full retirement.

Richman's plan would apply to all new employees in state and local government, special districts, school districts, and the California State University and University of California systems beginning July 1, 2009. If enough signatures are collected, the initiative would go on the November 2008 ballot.

Outgoing school board member David Tokofsky will be honored Tuesday by the Board of Education for his years of service to the district. Tokofsky decided against seeking re-election this year and he is being succeeded by Yolie Flores Aguilar.

Tokofsky, whose district stretches from Atwater, and Los Feliz, to Highland Park, East Los Angeles, and South Gate, was elected to the Board of Education in 1995. He is a former high school history teacher who led Marshall High School to national victory in the 1987 U.S. Academic Decathlon.

During his term, Tokofsky initiated policies that resulted in the establishment of Full-Day Kindergarten, creation of an Inspector General's Office, the creation of a Citizen's Bond Oversight Committee and creation of the Human Relations Commission. Additionally, Tokofsky advocated on behalf of the District to secure $1 billion dollars for
state textbooks, and $50 million dollars of Measure K funding for Early Childhood Education Expansion.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has visited his Austrian home city Graz for the first time since it removed his name from its main football stadium in December 2005. BBC.

City officials were angry with the California governor for refusing to grant clemency to a death row inmate.

But in a sign of thawing relations, Schwarzenegger has made a private visit to the city.

He met politicians and 84-year-old Alfred Gerstl, a friend who helped him early on in his bodybuilding career.

During the dispute, Mr Schwarzenegger's name was erased from the city's main website as well as the football stadium. He then made clear he wanted nothing more to do with Graz and returned a Graz "ring of honour" that had been given to him.

A new poll from the Survey and Policy Research Institute at San Jose State University ahows that Sen. Hillary Clinton, with overwhelming support among women and non-white voters, holds a commanding lead in the California Democratic Party primary, while former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Illinois Sen. Barak Obama are tied in a distant second.

Amid a more divided field, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads in the
California Republican Party primary while actor and former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, not
yet formally in the race, has edged his way to second place, with a statistically insignificant lead
over Arizona Sen. John McCain. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney trails far behind.

Meanwhile, President George Bush’s approval rating among Californians remains near
historic lows, driven by corrosive dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq, a staggering lack of
credibility and deep pessimism about the direction the country is headed. For GOP candidates in
California, Bush is no asset.

Southern California grocery workers voted Sunday night to authorize a strike against Vons and Ralphs, six months after contract negotiations with three major chains began, according to union leaders. Daily News.

"The vote was a mandate to authorize a strike," said Rick Icaza, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 770. Icaza called the results "preliminary" and did not release specific tallies. Turnout was about 50 percent, Icaza said.

The union already authorized a strike against Albertson's. The vote gives union leaders and negotiators the power to call a strike at any time. The chains agreed to lockout all workers if one market is targeted for a strike.

Members also voted down a contract proposal from the markets Sunday.

Both sides have been bargaining since before a three-year contract covering almost 70,000 grocery clerks expired March 5.

The union members were also voting on some of the markets' contract proposals for pay and health coverage.

Most of the vote count was expected to be completed by late Sunday, although some workers in inland areas were scheduled to vote early Monday.

It happens every day in the hectic metropolis of Los Angeles, and all signs are that it's getting worse.

Someone cuts you off on the freeway.

Someone's curt on the phone, at a store, at work.

Someone speaks loudly on a cell phone in a restaurant, sharing details of a life you don't care to hear about. Or smokes upwind of you on the patio of a coffee shop.

Rudeness is part of life in many big cities but Los Angeles surely ranks near the top - from road rage to the cold indifference of government bureaucrats when dealing with the public.

Now the Los Angeles Unified School District is taking aim at its own surly workers with new programs to boost "welcome-ness" - inspired by a position created at other school districts as the "director of first impressions." Naush Boghossian n the Daily News.

It's the brainchild of new Superintendent David Brewer, who wants all parents who walk in the front door of a school to feel "welcome and respected."

And he hopes to accomplish that broad task with Los Angeles-area business relaying their customer-service training to all school office personnel, administrators and teachers.

After disclosures that the Los Angeles city attorney and his wife were lax about getting car insurance and paying parking fines, the Department of Motor Vehicles might want to consider creating the Rocky and Michelle Delgadillo Trust Fund for unpaid tickets.Tipoffs in the Daily News.

With the city attorney continuing to draw heat over his wife's driving problems and the couple's failure to carry mandatory liability insurance - or apparently to keep up with business taxes - other officials in City Hall and their staffs have been scrambling to ensure their own driving records are clean.

"Everyone is joking about it, but you know we are all checking to make sure we don't have anything that could embarrass us or our boss," one aide said.

There is something wrong with our politicians, and it could be spreading. Mariel Garza takes a look at the latest political fever in the Daily News.

Did Rocky Delgadillo imagine that his job as the top law enforcer for Los Angeles exempted him from the rules that he applies to everyone else?

Did Sheriff Lee Baca honestly think that he could give special treatment to another celebrity and no one would notice?

Did Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa truly believe that the public wouldn't assume Corina filed for divorce and moved out of Getty House because he was fooling around?

And does Ed Jew really believe that he could live outside his district and it wouldn't get found out?

You might not know who Ed Jew is, but you should. He's a San Francisco supervisor under investigation by the FBI for shaking down businesses in his district for thousands of dollars. His very job is in jeopardy as the San Francisco city attorney tries to force him out for not living in the district - or even in the county.

But more importantly, he is one of those who have been infected in an outbreak that's raging through

The public frenzy swirling around the impending release from jail of Paris Hilton has again put Sheriff Lee Baca's ties to Tinseltown in the spotlight. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.
Long known for his penchant to hobnob with the rich and famous, the jet-setting Los Angeles County sheriff has repeatedly been described as starstruck and accused of giving preferential treatment to celebrities.

Baca faces what is expected to be a tough grilling this week by the Board of Supervisors over his handling of the Hilton case, especially his decision to send her home in defiance of a judge's direction after she had served just three days of her 45-day sentence over driving offenses.

The scrutiny comes as campaign contributions to Baca from Hollywood hotshots hit more than $90,000 last year - nearly 14 percent of all his campaign donati

After more than two hours of debate, the Los Angeles Unified School District board voted to renew the charter for Discovery Prep in Pacoima for a year. Naush Boghossian in the Daily News.

Then, a short time later, frustrated, tired and confused, the board negated its vote and postponed a new decision until later.

Charter renewal for Woodland Hills' Ivy Academia was next on the agenda and got a one-year extension after 20 minutes of discussion.

The trouble is Ivy - LAUSD's highest-performing independent charter school - lost out on a $1.2 million state grant that required a longer extension.

Those are just examples of issues facing LAUSD as it deals with the booming charter school movement.

The school board lacks a coherent policy toward charters so its actions are often arbitrary even as the debate on education reform becomes increasingly politicized.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's troubles mounted again Friday when state tax officials disclosed they suspended the license for his wife's consulting business and have no record that she paid taxes on it.

The disclosures prompted Michelle Delgadillo to write a check for an undisclosed sum to the city for failing to pay back taxes, saving her husband the embarrassment of having to pass the prosecution of her case over to the District Attorney's Office.

City Ethics Commission records show Michelle Delgadillo earned between $10,000 and $100,000 a year from her home business from 2002 to 2006.

The California Franchise Tax Board said it had no tax records for her business and suspended the license for her corporation, CRD Inc., in February 2005.

In a statement, Delgadillo's office said Michelle Delgadillo, 36, "reported and paid income taxes" on all of her home-based business income. The city attorney was not available to comment directly and the nature of her clientele was not disclosed.

California Franchise Tax Board spokeswoman Theresa Gray said the business is breaking the law if it is continuing to operate.

"They can't legally do business in the state of California. They need to file forms and come back into compliance," she said.

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles sought unsuccessfully Friday to extract an assurance from Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman that the agency would conduct thorough environmental assessments of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

In a letter to Bodman, Waxman said he was concerned and confused when the Energy Department moved forward in May with the demolition of some buildings at the site, despite a court order to conduct an Environmental Impact Study of the cleanup site.

The demolition was suddenly aborted, but the agency continues to sidestep further studies.

Energy Department spokesman Megan Barnett said they agency was juggling conflicting orders from the state, the federal government and the U.S. District Court.

``We plan to comply with the court order,’’ Barnett said, but indicted that might not mean completion of an environmental study.

About $1.3 million for Los Angeles social programs won a thumbs-up today from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The bill funding the Department of Labor and Health and Human Services includes:
- $500,000 for the Southwest Museum of the American Indian at the Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles for its Native American learning lab.
- $250,000 for L.A.’s BEST after school enrichment program.
- $200,000 for Children United Nations foster child mentoring programs.
- $100,000 for Educating Young Minds
- $100,000 for the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art museum for education and outreach.

The measure still has a long way to go before it reaches President Bush’s desk and could face resistance from the White House for broader provisions in the bill substantially expanding federally-funded stem cell research.

The bill makes existing stem cell lines derived before June 15, 2007 eligible for research. Bush has limited the number of eligible lines to those derived before August 9, 2001.

Rocky Delgadillo's foibles have tarnished the city attorney's reputation as a clean government leader and placed his standing as Los Angeles' top prosecutor and legal adviser in jeopardy. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

The latest reports that Delgadillo's staff baby-sat his kids and ran personal errands follow a litany of embarrassing ethical breaches that have put the prosecutor on the defensive.

Delgadillo first came under fire for having city taxpayers pick up the cost of repairing his city-owned SUV. His wife, who is not permitted to drive the vehicle, dented it. He paid the $1,222 in repairs only after the incident was reported in the press.

Political observers say Delgadillo's contention that his staff voluntarily helped him out by running errands and baby-sitting his kids does not get him out of hot water.

Watch out, Los Angeles, we will be inundated with hundreds of mayors from across the country over the next few days when the U.S. Conference of Mayors holds its 75th annual meeting at the Century Plaza Hotel, with our own Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa serving as host.
Vilaraigosa, who chairs the groups panel on poverty issues, is one of the featured speakers at the event that begins Friday and runs through next Monday.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., is scheduled to address the mayors today and other presidential candidates include Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. Other speakers include House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and FEMA Administrator R. David Paulson.

Grocrey talks

A noon deadline has been set for a new contract between Southland grocery market chains and union workers appear to be very slim. Union representatives set a noon deadline for a contract agreement.

Union negotiators set the deadline earlier this month for reaching a contract with Albertsons, Ralphs and Vons.

Gang czars galore

Los Angeles met its new gang czar on Wednesday, with minister Jeff Carr talking abou this experiences in East Hollywood and the difficulty in dealing with gangs. Daily News.
Also, the joint Senate-Assembly committee mulling Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's proposed budget said Wednesday it agreed to a statewide anti-gang czar but changed the focus of the anti-gang package to prevention rather than suppression. Oakland Tribune

Rocky controversy

City Attorney Rocky Degladillo and his wife continued to remain in the spotlight on Wednesday with new developmetns and disclosures.

Michelle Delgadillo pleaded no contest to charges that resulted in a bench warrant issued against her in 1998 and received one year summary probration and a $431 fine. ahref="http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_6190791">Daily News.

And, Delgadillo admited he had enlisted members of his office staff to run personal errands and baby-sit his two young children, including taking them to museums and other local attractions. Los Angeles Times.

A congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide has reached a political milestone with the endorsement of 200 lawmakers, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena announced this afternoon.

The bill, if it passes, would force the U.S. government to formally recognize the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during aftermath of World War I as genocide.

Schiff, a leading author of the resolution, noted that the 200 co-sponsors means the measure has more support than ever before. Last year it garnered 88 supporters.

No word yet on when the bill could be coming to the floor, though it is likely to pass both the House and Senate when it does.
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Bans on junk food and soda in schools, and a recycling program for plastic bags are among a handful of new, high-profile laws set to take effect across California in less than two weeks. Harrison Sheppard in today's Daily News.

While most new laws kick off at the start of every calendar year, a few - including increased fees for bottles and cans that are recyclable and new efforts to prevent the spread of infections in hospitals - will start July 1.

Dave Hope, a Beverly Hills resident who works near a recycling center in West Hills, hailed the extra fees for bottles and cans because the amount paid back to consumers when they recycle the containers rose an extra penny earlier this year.
"I need a few million of those," Hope said of the cans and bottles. He said he makes his monthly recycling stops during his lunch break, often walking away with $5.

Because of the extra time in launching these laws, many agencies and companies already have begun implementing them.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's mea culpa Monday over misuse of his city vehicle continued to raise questions Tuesday after later admissions that he also broke state law and city policy by driving without insurance for more than a year. Kerry Cavanaugh in today's Daily News.

And, it turns out that a bench warrent for Michelle Delgadillo remains in effect. Los Angeles Times.

After stonewalling reporters for more than a week on whether his wife damaged his city-assigned SUV and had city taxpayers cover the $1,222 in repairs, Delgadillo's apologetic news conference Monday afternoon was supposed to address all concerns.

But he got facts wrong, denied he ever lacked insurance and had to send out a correction and apology a few hours later.

Among the admissions, Delgadillo conceded that his wife did not have car insurance in late 2003 and early 2004 when she was involved in a crash.

Her driver's license was suspended from July 2004 through March, yet she continued to drive - a misdemeanor for which law enforcement could have arrested her and impounded her vehicle.

And by allowing his wife to drive his car while she had a suspended license, Delgadillo also broke the law.

The incident raised questions about the credibility of the city's elected law enforcement officials and the man tasked with giving legal advice to all city employees.

"You're starting to see that every time someone looks a little further they find more, and that will pique the attention of law enforcement officials," said Rebecca S. Lonergan, an associate professor at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law and a former federal prosecutor of public corruption cases.

In the city's continued fight against gangs, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has tapped an ordained minister with decades of experience creating youth programs in poor neighborhoods as the city's first gang czar. Rick Coca in today's Daily News.

Although Jeff Carr is not well known by some in City Hall, his appointment, expected at a press conference today, demonstrates the mayor's push for prevention and intervention programs in the battle to rid the city of its decades-old gang problem.

"In a sense, we're in a war with gangs and gang leaders," said John Mack, president of the Los Angeles Police Commission. "If we're going to win the large majority of young people, they're going to have to see they have some other options ... than life on the street with gangs. The selection (of Carr) says that the mayor recognizes that."

Mack said that, although he doesn't know him "extremely well," Carr appears well qualified for the appointment with his background as a minister who worked with the Bresee Foundation, an L.A. faith-based organization that offers health, academic and employment services.

Most recently, Carr worked as the chief operating officer and chief of staff for Sojourners/Call to Renewal in Washington, D.C., managing 50 employees and overseeing the finance, personnel and marketing development for the organization. The organization's mission is to "articulate the biblical call to social justice, inspiring hope and building a movement to transform individuals, communities, the church and the world," its Web site states.

Noting that crime is at a record low, the Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday confirmed William Bratton for a second five-year term as police chief.

The 5-0 decision came after months of deliberation, stalled by a review of his response to the May Day incident at MacArthur Park. He earned high marks from the commission for his quick actions in taking responsibility, ordering inquiries and demoting command officers after that incident.

"Chief Bratton's response ... represented an important demonstration of enlightened, decisive leadership," Commission President John Mack said.

In appointing him to a second term heading the Los Angeles Police Department, Mack said Bratton should continue the work he has begun toward the "transformation of the LAPD culture and accountability that will ensure we do not have another MacArthur Park incident."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who on the day after his election in 2005 went to Bratton and asked him to stay on the job, said he was pleased with the commission's decision.

Members of the Valley Industry & Commerce Association are traveling to Sacramento tonight and tomorrow to lobby for bills that matter to the Valley business community.
Eight VICA members will arrive in town tonight, according to VICA president Brendan Huffman. Tomorrow, they will meet with the entire Valley delegation, as well as lawmakers from other areas. Among the topics they are pushing are efforts to stop runaway production and increase spending on transportation.

From walking elephants and banning light bulbs to legalizing suicide and recycling plastic bags, Van Nuys Assemblyman Lloyd Levine has championed some of the most controversial and offbeat issues in the Legislature. Harrison Sheppard profiles the Assembly member in today's Daily News.

Now in his third term and eyeing a state Senate run, Levine has gained a reputation as a passionate but oddball lawmaker - an energetic liberal who bounces from topic to topic and proposes out-of-the-box ideas that spark sharp reactions ranging from outrage to admiration.

This year Levine has proposed banning incandescent light bulbs; regulating the treatment of captive elephants, including using GPS monitoring to ensure they are walked at least five miles a day; and requiring pet owners to spay or neuter every dog and cat.

He also has reintroduced a bill that would legalize doctor-assisted suicide and touched on other measures, from the environment, energy and taxes to acupuncture, telecommunications and political debates.

Several of his more-controversial proposals, including light bulbs, elephants and assisted suicide, died in the Legislature recently, but the spay/neuter bill was approved in the Assembly and is now pending in the Senate.

Illegal immigration hard-liners introduced sweeping legislation this morning in the hopes of countering a bill poised to move through the U.S. Senate granting permanent residency and citizenship to illegal immigrants.

The bill includes a number of measures written by Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks. Among them:

- A requirement to force the Social Security Administration to notify employers and homeland security officials when a workers’ social security number and name does not match. Currently, Gallegly and others maintain, the agency ignores the discrepancy, effectively allowing illegal immigrants and others perpetrating identity theft employment.

- Requiring the Internal Revenue Service to notify homeland security officials when it receives an Individual Tax Identification Number instead of a social security number. The ID numbers are issued to foreign nationals, but are not supposed to be used to gain employment.

- Finally, the bill includes a provision prohibiting federal agencies from accepting consular cards as a form of valid identification. The use of the Mexican matricula consular has been a contentious issue for several years, and Gallegly has long been among those seeking to outlaw its use.

The overall bill is sponsored by Rep. Peter King, R-New York, and Lamar Smith, R-Texas.

After ducking questions for more than a week, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo admitted Monday that his wife was behind the wheel of his city-assigned SUV and driving with a suspended license when she damaged it in an accident three years ago. Kerry Cavanaugh n the Daily News. L.A.Times.

Delgadillo also admitted he allowed taxpayers to foot the bill for $1,222 in repairs to the SUV after the 2004 incident.

His voice cracking with emotion, Delgadillo said he made a mistake and should have been more open about the collision and repairs. Under city policy, family members of employees are not allowed to drive city-assigned vehicles.

He wrote a personal check to the city Monday to cover the cost of the repairs.

"Like any husband, I love my family and have tried to keep them out of the public eye," he said. "But as an elected official I am accountable to the public and I realize I should have spoken up earlier. That was a mistake."

"I am saddened that my wife's life has become a public issue. I mishandled the situation and I apologize."

Delgadillo has been dogged for more than a week by questions over whether his wife, Michelle, occasionally drove his city-assigned GMC Yukon and damaged it when she used it to go to a doctor's

Correction on an earlier post. The promised interview with a Los Angeles Times reporter and columnist Steve Lopez, who ripped Rocky in his Sunday column was nixed today by City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's aides. Apparently aides were not pleased that Lopez mentioned the pending interview and they decided it would be more fair to hold a general media availability sometime today. Probably a good idea, since three television trucks have been staking out the city attorney's office today.

Delgadillo, as you may recall, turned in his damaged city-owned SUV for more than $2,000 in repairs in 2004. But sources told the Times that Delgadillo's wife, Michelle, may have been driving the GMC Yukon at the time (possibly on a suspended license). Rocky has refused to answer questions or even send out a statement explaining who was driving the SUV. And that's raised eyebrows among city officials.

Although the Schwarzenegger era doesn't officially come to an end until 2010, Democrats are already salivating about recapturing the Governor's office. You could tell by the elbowing for positioning (not to mention the tchotchkes) at the recent California Democratic Party convention that the primary race is already on. And it should be a doozy.

Steve Maviglio gives his view of how the race shapes up in the California Majority Report. (Link courtesy of the Sacrmanento Bee), saying Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has taken some lumps but still remains formidable.

Six months ago we made our first rankings of the possible contenders. Here are the latest rankings, with some changes and a surprising new entry at #15.

1. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa (Last Ranking: 1)

Sure, he's taken his lumps lately: a split from his wife, a much-talked about nasty New Yorker article, a delayed reaction to the MacArthur Park May 1st incidents, and coming out on the losing end in a court fight over control of the city's schools. But he's also had his share of wins (most recently, the LAUSD school elections) and remains popular in multi-cultural LA, the epicenter of the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial primary. To date, Villaraigosa has been adept at navigating the land mines of the mayorship. There's likely to be more of those ahead -- not to mention what could be a contested re-election.

With the debate continuing over the value of charter schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, staff writer Naush Boghossian in today's Daily News looks at the results of their first graduating classes.

Charter schools, the independent campuses that mostly serve communities with sociological challenges, are touting their graduation successes, with the majority of their students going on to college.

Discovery Charter Preparatory School in Pacoima, one of two charter high schools in the San Fernando Valley, is sending almost two-thirds of its 70 seniors to four-year colleges.

Ninety-nine percent of Discovery's students are on free-and-reduced lunch, 59percent are English learners and 96percent are Latino, Executive Director Matthew Macarah said.

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When Los Angeles civic leaders talk about building taller structures and more multifamily homes along transit lines, they're probably not envisioning projects in placid, suburban Tarzana. Daily News staff writer Kerry Cavanaugh explores the proposal.

But that's just what the Tarzana Neighborhood Council has proposed for the area around the Orange Line station on Reseda Boulevard.

Tarzana Crossing would be what some call a transit village or an urban village - with shops, restaurants, offices and apartments or condos within one-quarter mile of the station.

It would be an environment ideal for walking. Buildings could reach up to six stories in the core, with shops on the ground floor attracting those on foot to window-shop and people-watch.

A couple of our local elected officials just had a really bad week, their images tarnished by events in their personal lives. In today's Daily News Tipoffs.

Obviously, the biggest issue was Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his impending divorce from his wife of 20 years, Corina.But City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo also foudn himself under scrutiny over an accident involving the city vehicle issued to him and who was driving.

After announcing the separation in a press release issued late Friday, June 8, the mayor called a news conference for the following Monday to deal with any questions and avoid disrupting future events.

While Villaraigosa took responsibility for the situation, he refused to address whether he'd been involved with another woman, and his request for privacy served only to fan City Hall gossip about the breakup of his marriage.

Spanish-speaking immigrants can view Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's state Web site in Spanish, where he declares himself a man of the people: "Arnold Schwarzenegger: El Gobernador Del Pueblo."

They can listen every Saturday to the governor's weekly radio address, translated, on Spanish-language stations around the state. And they could have watched the governor last year on various Spanish-language news programs or in Spanish-language campaign commercials. The Sacramento Bee looks at his record.

After Schwarzenegger said Wednesday that immigrants who want to learn English should tune out Spanish-language media, critics questioned why the governor has devoted himself to bilingual communication if he thinks it poses a hindrance to the Latino community.

"He's inconsistent," said state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles. "If immigrants did what he said, nobody would have watched his campaign ads. Nobody would have watched him on (Univision public affairs show) 'Voz y Voto.' "

Schwarzenegger, responding to a question on how to improve the performance of English-learning immigrant students on the state's high school exit exam, said one good way would be to "turn off the Spanish television set. It's that simple. You've got to learn English."

The governor suggested that immigrants should likewise avoid Spanish-language newspapers, books and radio during his visit with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists in San Jose. He based his comments on his own experience as an Austrian immigrant.

Those remarks seemed to contradict the message sent by the governor's campaign last year. Schwarzenegger advisers often touted how they used Spanish-language outreach in ways unprecedented for a Republican.

When a photo surfaced early this year showing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a flirtatious Paris Hilton schmoozing at a post-Grammy party, their pairing was written off as Los Angeles' two biggest publicity hounds capitalizing on yet another photo op. Tony Castro in today's Daily News.

LAObserved.com, a media Web site that focuses on the city's movers and shakers, even ran a contest seeking the wittiest caption, then published a Letterman-like Top 10 list of what the mayor and the celebutante might be saying.

Few, however, gave any serious thought to the significance of the moment - the obsession Villaraigosa and Hilton have about being in the public eye and society's corresponding fascination with the politician who has sold himself as the poster child for the American Dream and the heiress who has lived it every day of her life.

A Huffington Post blogger thinks so. In a column today, Mona Gable writes on the progressive news/opinion Web site that presidential candidate Hillary Clinton should give back Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's endorsement if she wants to win in California.

Antonio, she says, just isn't very popular any more. There's the failed school reform bill, the May Day melee with LAPD, the loss of the 2016 Olympics to Chicago and, apparently, he's not very nice to waiters (?). But it's the announcement of his pending divorce with his wife of 20-years, Corina, that's the final straw for Antonio.

"And now we have the split from his wife Corina over an alleged affair. Ah, me. When Antonio was Assembly Speaker, I covered him for a brief time in Sacramento. You could hardly walk down a Capitol hallway without hearing titters about his philandering. So when the mayor's office issued a press release last week announcing the breakup with his wife, it was hardly earth shattering. And that's where Antonio should have left it: with a nice dignified press release. But no. He had to hold a press conference, he had to bring in the cameras. He loves the cameras. And he had to trot out two daughters from previous relationships to stand beside him."

Father Giovanni Bizzotto of Sun Valley is among the more than 40 Californians riding on the “Dream Train” to D.C. right now to lobby for immigration reform.

Bizotto, an Italian immigrant who now works as the vocation director for the Scalabrinian Community Mission for the Migrants, a religious order that serves migrants in 31 countries, said he feels a sense of obligation to advocate for immigrants.

``I’m a strong believer that the church has to journey along with people who are struggling. I strongly believe that this is where I belong, journeying along with the migrants,’’ he said.

The 10-city train tour, organized by the archdiocese and the AFL-CIO and promoted by the immigrant rights coalition We Are America, describes its aims as ``dispelling myths’’ about immigration. It set out from Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Dreams Across America tour includes about 100 immigrants, citizens and clergy stopping in several cities to talk to people about their family’s American dream.

Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, will speak about state political reform issues on Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the City Club on Bunker Hill, 333 S. Grand Avenue on the 54th floor in downtown Los Angeles.
The talk, entitled, "Political Potpourri: A Review of California's Political Reform Issues" will address campaign financing, the initiative process, term limits, redistricting, and voter information, among other things.
The free talk will address proposals in the state Legislature to establish an independent redistricting commission, extend term limits and establish public financing of campaigns.
Those wishing to attend can register at www.PatBrownInstitute.org.
Free parking is accessible below the Wells Fargo Building.

Former President Bill and Hillary Clinton have dissolved the blind trust that has managed their investments since they entered the White House in 1993, converting all stocks to cash to avoid financial conflicts as she runs for president, according to documents to be filed today with federal ethics officials according to the Washington Post.

The documents reviewed by The Washington Post provide the most complete accounting of how the Clintons accrued the $5 million to $25 million in the trust -- nearly all since leaving the White House -- through investments in foreign companies, oil giants and drugmakers without their input or knowledge and without public disclosure.

The former president has also derived substantial income from speeches to companies and interest groups as his wife runs for the White House, earning nearly $6 million in the first five months of this year on top of the $40 million he earned over the previous five years, the documents show.

In one such engagement this March, the Boys and Girls Club of Los Angeles paid Bill Clinton $150,000 to hear him speak, the papers show.

Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo lashed out this morning against the Social Security Administration for shutting down its San Pedro office.

"After months of effort by residents and elected officials, including me, to keep the San Pedro office open, the offer of a part-time contact office is insulting," Harman said in a statement released this morning.

"Apparently, SSA has not been watching the meltdown of our passport system. Putting too few resources on a big issue creates a bigger problem," she said.

The office is scheduled to close Sept. 30. Officials say the administration is focusing its resources on growing population areas in Nevada, Arizona and inland California.

The federal government moved a step closer this week toward investigating wartime violations against Japanese Latin Americans during World War II.

A Senate companion bill to one written by Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles creating a commission on wartime relocation passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

Becerra called committee passage ``a momentous step’’ on ``an issue that has long deserved its due.’’

The commission would investigate U.S. involvement in the abduction, internment and deportation of Japanese Latin Americans and make recommendations for appropriate remedies to Congress. The commission would be composed of nine people, with the president, speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate each selecting three.

No word yet on when the bill might reach the Senate floor for a full vote.

While he has been deluged with personal issues over the past week, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa
will receive a rare honor today from his alma mater.

Villaraigosa, who is a featured speaker at the UCLA commencement ceremony, will be presented with the UCLA Medal, the university's highest honor created to salute those individuals "who have made extraordinary and distinguished contributions to their professions, to higher education, to our society, and to the people of UCLA."

Past recipients have included Kareem Abdul Jabbar, former Mayor Tom Bradley and former President Bill Clinton. Others who have been honored with the award are heads of state, renowned scientists, artists, scholars; peacemakers; social
reformers; and visionaries in the realm of commercial enterprise.

Councilman Greig Smith was named "Legislator of the Year" by the Valley Industry and Commerce Association and is to be honored at its annual "Best of the San Fernando Valley" dinner tonight.

More than 400 of the Valley’s top business leaders and elected officials are expected to attend the dinner, where Smith will receive its "Legislator of the Year award.

VICA said Smith was selected becasue of his work on the RENEW LA waste management plan, reductions to business taxes, and for his opposition to the City-only sales tax hike and to the living wage proposal for private hotels.

For the first time in more than 30 years, a cityhood bid for East Los Angeles will be considered, beginning with an economic viability study expected to be announced today.

The Local Agency Formation Commission is due to announce it will study whether East Los Angeles meets economic criteria to become the 89th city in Los Angeles County.

The LAFCO study would take about nine months, after which backers would have to collect signatures from about 10,000 registered voters.

In his first State of the Schools address since taking the helm of Los Angeles Unified, Superintendent David Brewer III unveiled an ambitious, wide-ranging strategy Thursday to radically revamp the culture and structure of the nation's second-largest school district. Naush Boghossian in the Daily News.

Presenting a unified front with the mayor and school board, Brewer outlined five guiding principles that will form the backbone of efforts to boost everything from achievement and community involvement to parental support and curriculum.

Brewer conveyed a spirit of hope and optimism and said he's learned that improvements in safety, student achievement and graduation rates can only be achieved through partnerships with the city, cultivating relationships and engaging the community.

Though gay marriage is actually still not legal in California, conservative family-values activists are now circulating petitions for a ballot measure that not only bans gay marriage, but seeks to eliminate most existing benefits for domestic partners.

The group was given permission by the Secretary of State's Office on Thursday to begin circulating petitions for signatures. They have to collect valid signatures from 694,354 registered voters by Nov. 13 to place the measure on the ballot.

The proposed constitutional amendment states "Only marriage between one man and one woman is valid or recognized in California, whether contracted in this state or elsewhere."

It also says the state cannot abolish marriage, nor cannot it force private entities, such as employers, to bestow the benefits of marriage on unmarried individuals.

The measure is co-written by Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families, and Larry Bowler, a former Republican Assemblyman from the Sacramento region. Link to their website here.

Meanwhile, the effort by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, to legalize gay marriage here passed through the Assembly last week by a 42-34 margin and is now awaiting a committee hearing in the Senate. Link to Leno's bill, AB43, here.

Legislative officials estimate there are 100,000 same-sex couples in California, and about half are expected to marry if allowed by law. There are about 38,000 registered domestic partnerships, mostly between same-sex couples, in the state.

Time Magazine today has a piece about new BFFs Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The piece makes some interesting comparisons: "They're both self-confident, self-made men who rose to stardom from middle-class obscurity" and "They're both socially liberal Republicans who have flourished in Democratic political cultures."

It also trots out a few tired old Arnold cliches -- making fun of his accent and calling them "the oddest couple since Twins."

Most intriguing is a passage quoting Warren Buffett speculating on a Bloomberg-Schwarzenegger presidential ticket:

That love of action is the real link between Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg, and the real source of the recent Bloomberg-for-President buzz. There's no obvious niche for a candidate who supports gay marriage and gun control while opposing the death penalty and deadlines for withdrawing troops from Iraq. But there is an obvious appeal to a businessman who can work across party lines to get things done — and could drop $500 million on a campaign without even noticing it was gone. Buffett thinks it's a great idea, and when he first heard it, he turned to the Constitution. "I wanted to see if Schwarzenegger could be his Vice President," Buffett said. "I think he could." It states that the President must be native born, but it's silent on the Vice President. "That would be one hell of a team, wouldn't it?"

(As a side note, speaking of Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg, they are both expected in Los Angeles on Tuesday along with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for a conference at USC on the subject of ending political divisiveness. Have they noticed it's an election year? Good luck with that one....)

L.A. looks at change
To entice Angelenos back to the polls after record-low turnouts in recent years, the city is mulling a host of changes, including new election dates, more mail-in voting and instant runoff voting, staff writer Kerry Cavanaugh reports in today's Daily News.

In this year's elections, 10 percent of registered voters participated in the March primary and 7 percent turned out for the May general election.

The reason? Voter education groups cited voter fatigue from too many elections, complicated initiatives, language barriers, negative campaigning, lack of interest in local races and a growing belief that voting doesn't matter.

Does the Valley count anymore?

The San Fernando Valley could be wiped off the U.S. Census map under a proposal that threatens its recently granted designation as a distinct demographic region, staff writer Lisa Friedman in today's
Daily News.

Claiming that few people use the data, the U.S. Census Bureau is seeking to completely eliminate the nationwide category under which the Valley was granted its federal statistical status just two years ago.

But the move has prompted outrage from lawmakers and others who battled for five years for the designation and hailed it as giving the region the detailed demographic information needed to achieve the economic and political clout it has sought for decades.

Paris' special treatment?
As the heiress was moved from the medical ward to the Lynwood Correctional Institute, a pair of stories regarding treatment of L.A.'s most famous prisoner.

While in custody, Hilton could be dining on octopus in oil, crab meat in brine and fish steak in Louisiana hot sauce during her stay at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, staff writer Troy Anderson in the Daily News..

Those are just some of the gourmet food items Hilton and other inmates can purchase in the jail's store.

While sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore declined to get specific Wednesday about what Hilton is eating because of "privacy issues," he said she's on a "special diet, ... but it doesn't include seafood."

Meanwhile the Los Angeles Times is reporting that it looked at more than 2 million records and found Hilton is serving more time than most.

Hilton will end up serving more time behind bars than the vast majority of inmates sent to L.A. County Jail for similar offenses, according to a Times analysis of jail records.

Whether Hilton received special treatment from the Sheriff's Department has become the subject of much debate since Sheriff Lee Baca last week allowed the hotel heiress to go home after less than four full days in jail, despite a promise that she would serve 23 days of a 45-day sentence.

Councilman Bernard Parks is renewing his effort to stall the reappointment of Police Chief Bill Bratton,

Parks, who has been a consistent critic of Bratton's style and policies, said he did not believe the Police Commission allowed adequate public comment.

And, in a letter to the commission, he cited a request from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and others to delay action.

"The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Community Coalition, and many of the Block
Clubs and Community Based Organizations listed in a letter SCLC recently wrote to the
Commission are constituents of the 8th Council District.

" Due to the failure of the Police Commission to participate in an appropriate outreach effort or to create any criteria for reappointment, it is mandatory that the Commission allows the community to do its own due
diligence and objectively discuss Chief Bratton’s entire term as the LAPD Chief of Police before
the City invests an additional $1.5 Million to $2 Million into another 5 year term.

"The issues that confront the Department and the City are most acute in the area I represent. The
collective history of the LAPD under Chief Bratton requires that the Commission abide by this
community’s request."

While Californians and others intent on raising fuel efficiency standards have been beating up on Detroit of late, it turns out there's at least one Golden Stater who has the automakers' hometown at heart: Sherman Oaks Democrat Rep. Brad Sherman.

Taking aim at a proposed free trade agreement with Korea, Sherman on Wednesday likened the pact to the war of 1812 which led to the fall of Detroit.

"Before we go forward with a proposal that hte Bush administration tells us will benefit both sides, we should be certain that we are not setting into motion a plan that will once again lead to the demise of Detroit,'' Sherman said.

Automakers have been pushing for a rejection of the trade deal, saying the nation is one of the most resistant to U.S. vehicle imports. In addition to opposing the measure on the grounds that it could hurt U.S. manufacturing, Sherman suggested Wednesday that it could also unwittingly lead to the importation of North Korea goods.

U.S. trade officials defended the pact with the world's 11th largest economy, saying it is key to bolstering a "vital strategic relationship" with one of the U.S. fastest growing trade partners. Officials also noted that under the agreement, duties on priority passenger vehicles would be eliminated, while duties on other cars would be phased out over a three year period.

CityWatch is asking readers to grade Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on his accomplishments during his first two years in office.

Few question that he’s popular with the public, is photogenic and has made his popular presence felt during his first two years. The debate starts when the conversation gets around to what he’s accomplished on the priority promises he made.

The verdict so far? They either love him or hate him. Some 45 percent of respondents say the mayor should get an A, while 36 percent say he should get an F.

The poll continues at CityWatch , under LA Pulse.

DWP ordered to pay back

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power overcharged the school district, county and other government agencies for more than a decade and now must return more than $220 million, a judge ruled Thursday.

Six government entities sued in 2000, saying that under state law the DWP can only charge them for the cost of producing the electricity they use - less than what the utility had billed them. Kerry Cavanaugh
reports the decision.

Villaraigosa divorce started
Just four days after Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa publicly announced his separation after two decades of marriage, his wife promptly filed for divorce late Tuesday.
Wasting little time, Corina Villaraigosa filed a standard, 10-page petition in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking dissolution of the marriage because of "irreconcilable differences." Troy Anderson reported the details.

The bare-bones filing had few details, noting assets and liabilities were yet to be determined. But the speed with which it was filed highlighted what some have said has been a longstanding and growing estrangement between the couple.

The filing came just one day after a somber mayor held a news conference in which he deflected inquiries about the reasons for the split but said he took responsibility for the breakup and felt "a personal sense of failure."

"When you've been married for 20 years, that's a big thing," he said at the time. "It's been a stable kind of anchor for the family, and so when you're not able to continue, it's difficult."

But the mayor also refused to say whether he'd been romantically involved with other women since he took office July 1, 2005.

LAUSD graduation rates continue decline

Los Angeles Unified has the sixth-lowest graduation rate among large school districts in the nation, according to a study released Tuesday by the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center.

The study, whose findings are disputed by LAUSD officials, said the district has a high school graduation rate of 45 percent, compared with a national average of 70 percent. Details reported in today's Daily News by Harrison Sheppard and Naush Boghossian.

In a city where racial politics is alwasy simmering beneath the surface, a former network news producer has started a blog devoted exclusively to the dicussion of racial issues.

Carmen Dixon, at www.allabout race.com, sees her site as the place to " talk about race in America. And by talk I mean share, discuss, argue, learn, teach, laugh and understand. This is a place for personal stories about how the vagaries of racial conflict affect each of us. Too often, race is the unaddressed “elephant in the room,” even at a time when our “melting pot” is spilling all over the stove."

Dixon said she s tarted the site out of a frustration over the lack of recognition of racial issues and how most of oir problems are based on stereotypes.

"I’ve always enjoyed talking about race even if getting the conversation started was uncomfortable. We comfortably talk about sexuality, gender issues, and money, but just mention a story in the paper with a racial component, particularly in a mixed race crowd, and everybody clinches," she writes.

" Many times I’ve avoided racial topics because I was afraid to discover that someone I like has racial views completely incompatible with mine. It hasn’t happened often, but it has. Like the time I found out one of my good friends at the time was “passing” because she thought it would help her career. Or the couple of times I chose to explain to a white friend why they could not use the “n-word” and had to strike it from their vocabulary."

Michael Moore appeared in the state Capitol earlier today and jammed up the hallways, the press room, and the largest hearing room in the building with overflows in the balcony and watching on television screens outside. In a scene reminiscent of the Beatles in A Hard Days Night, he was mobbed and everybody, except Republicans, wanted to appear with him and be as close as possible.The California Progress Report has the details.

Moore’s speeches to the press conference with Speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez and the Democratic leadership of the Assembly, followed by his 15 minute remarks at the Senate Health Committee hearing were powerful, direct, and articulated one of the best arguments for a single payer plan that I have heard and an argument for an active and involved government in the health area. Moore blasted the insurance industry, which he said needs to be removed from the health care area altogether in favor of a Medicare ike system for all. He said, “We are all part of a broken and corrupt system.”

These remarks would have made news just by themselves. They have heightened interest in his film "Sicko" even before it has been shown. Large satellite dishes atop trucks have sprouted around the Capitol and its park. Moore has been followed by a gaggle of cameras everywhere. You should be reading, seeing, and hearing a lot about him. If the documentary film is anywhere as good as Moore’s comments and as good as it has been described, it may do what its fans suggest: Do for health care what Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” has done for global warming action.

Moore talks about wanting to hear from people on You Tube.

Even as Los Angeles leaders cut services to balance the budget, tens of millions of dollars in bills owed to the city were going uncollected, Controller Laura Chick said Monday. Staff writer Kerry Cavanaugh in today's Daily News.

Her audit of L.A.'s billing and collection systems found that some $98 million was written off as uncollectible over the last three years, primarily because the city failed to send bills or follow up on delinquent payments.

"We are potentially losing out on millions of dollars that could hire more police officers and firefighters, fill potholes, trim trees and buy library books, Chick said.

"How can the city of Los Angeles, that has so many unmet needs and demands for services, not care about collecting all the money legitimately owed it?"

Chick listed 35 recommendations, including the creation of a centralized billing system in the Office of Finance and hiring more contractors to collect on unpaid bills.

Under renewed fire for freeing Paris Hilton, Sheriff Lee Baca faced racism charges Monday from the Rev. Al Sharpton, a lawsuit from a double-amputee incarcerated in the same jail as the celebrity heiress and a campaign to boot him from office. And, today, he appears before the Board of Supervisors to explain his decision ro release her early. Details from staff writer Troy Anders.on in today's Daily News.

Baca has survived a barrage of controversy since taking office in 1998, ranging from releasing dangerous criminals early to kowtowing to celebrities - including last year's handling of actor Mel Gibson's drunk-driving arrest and anti-Semitic tirade.

Hilton is now back in jail after a judge ordered her to complete what is expected to be a 23-day sentence. And political observers doubt whether she'll be Baca's downfall.

Councilman Jack Weiss has enlisted Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, former Mayor Richard Riordan and other of the city's heavy hitters to help him fend off a recall attempt. Weiss' team put out their formal recall response Monday and it says:

"WARNING TO VOTERS: SIGNING THIS PETITION WILL COST YOU AND YOUR FELLOW TAXPAYERS $1.5 MILLION FOR AN UNNECESSARY SPECIAL ELECTION" (their excessive caps, not mine)

The message and pleas from Villaraigosa and others to "Please don't sign this petition" will appear on the paperwork recall supporters must circulate and get signed to qualify for the ballot. Supporters need about 23,000 signatures.

Implicitly admitting its antagonism to the charter school movement has failed, United Teachers Los Angeles now wants to unionize their faculties and push for more independence in the classroom. Staff writer Naugh Boghossian examines the new union strategy in today's Daily News.

UTLA President A.J. Duffy says the union has created a committee to study how it can organize charter schools created by the Los Angeles Unified School District.

"We have come to the realization that we need to look at organizing teachers at charter schools," Duffy said. "It's not just organizing charter school personnel, which we have an internal committee looking at. It's pushing the reforms that we've been pushing for two years including local control of schools."

With 103 charter schools in operation at the LAUSD - a number expected to grow to more than 150 in two years - UTLA has watched many of its teachers leave traditional public schools. Many of those who remain have demanded the same classroom freedom offered by the charters.

And in what may be a critical first step, charter powerhouse Steve Barr, head of Green Dot Public Schools, is in talks with UTLA as he works to convert the troubled Locke High School into a charter.

Barr's teachers are members of the California Teachers Association,the umbrella organization of UTLA, and are among the few unionized teachers at LAUSD.

Every politician in the state - except, maybe, Sheriff Lee Baca - should be thanking Paris Hilton. Tipoffs in today;s Daily News.

It is fairly amazing how a 115-pound celebrity suddenly became the 800-pound gorilla of public policy. She has become the queen of distraction politics with an early jail release that has beco Los Angele

With momentum growing for drastic reform at Los Angeles public schools driven by the superintendent and mayor, the politically powerful teachers union finds itself on the front lines of a potentially divisive battle.

United Teachers Los Angeles' own crew of reform leaders is walking a tightrope between privately backing reform efforts it has long sought, while publicly defending the rights of a rank-and-file that is being described as staunchly rigid and unaccepting of change. Staff writer Naush Boghossian looks at the issue in today's Daily News.

Led by President A.J. Duffy, the small team of advisers is keenly aware that it must quickly and smoothly work to engender the support of its membership or risk jeopardizing the unprecedented alignment of leaders to spark a revolution at the beleaguered school district.

After decades of failed reforms, achievement scores lagging well behind the state averages and dropout rates estimated between 24 percent and 50 percent, the lives of more than 708,000 students and teachers hang in the balance - and with that, the health of the city itself.

The name might be more wishful thinking than practical politics, but a group of Republican business leaders calling themselves the New Majority are hoping to reshape the GOP to give it a stronger role in state and local politics A look at this new organization seeking to giv the Republican Party a makeover in today's Daily News..

Launched in Orange County seven years ago, the group raised more than $8 million - more than any other contributor - for the effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis and replace him with Arnold Schwarzenegger, who also is a New Majority member.

Since then, the group has expanded to Los Angeles County and now has about 90 members in the area. Organizers also want to establish chapters in San Diego and the Inland Empire to wrest the GOP back from those it considers extremists.

"We are trying to get away from some of the personal attacks that dominate politics today," said John Kilroy, head of the Los Angeles chapter and chairman of Kilroy Realty Corp. "We recognize that not all Democrats are bad and not all Republicans are good.

"We are a Republican organization, but we want to return the party so that people here feel they have a choice and not get involved with all the wedge issues that seem to divide us. What we are looking for is to reduce the influence of those on the extreme edge of issues."

Helped by the fight over immigration, Democratic presidential candidates are courting Hispanic voters like never before, prompted by a string of early primaries in states with sizable Hispanic voting blocs, the New York Times reports..

It has forced candidates to hire outreach consultants, to start Spanish-language Web sites and to campaign vigorously before Hispanic audiences.

The battle for Hispanic voters is a result of the decision by several states with large Hispanic populations to move their presidential primaries to early 2008, including California, Florida and New York. Roughly two-thirds of the nation’s Hispanic residents live in nine of the states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on or before Feb. 5.

Republican and Democratic strategists, as well as independent analysts, say the influence of Hispanic voters is likely to be amplified next year because of an unusually intense response in many Hispanic communities to immigration policy. Conservative Republicans, with the help of some left-leaning Democrats, teamed up on Thursday to derail an immigration bill in the Senate that would have provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

It is in the new early primary states where Democrats hope the outreach efforts bear fruit. In the last presidential election, Hispanic voters accounted for a significant part of the overall Democratic primary electorate in California (16 percent), New York (11 percent), Arizona (17 percent) and Florida (9 percent), all states that will hold primaries by Feb 5.

Sergio Bendixen, a pollster hired by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign to study Hispanic voting trends, said: “The Hispanic vote has never been all that important in the presidential primary process in the United States. But that will change in 2008.”

At this early stage, Mrs. Clinton, a New York Democrat, appears best poised to benefit from the heightened Hispanic role in the primary process. She has already captured a prized endorsement, of Mayor Antonio R . Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, one of the nation’s most prominent Hispanic politicians.

Te National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) will gather to mark its 25th anniversary next week in San Jose and look at the changing role it plays today. Details of the conference are available here.

NAHJ 2007 will convene in the midst of great flux in the industry, with the demise of Knight Ridder and other media consolidations and buyouts. "We believe there will be a fair number of people looking for jobs," said NAHJ executive director Ivan Roman. "There will also be people with jobs who are trying to figure out how they need to reinvent themselves as journalists, given all the changes in the industry."

Issues related to immigration, including anti-immigrant backlash and the language used to describe undocumented workers, take the forefront at this year's NAHJ convention.

In the months leading up to the convention, the May Day immigration rally in Los Angeles that turned into a melee, the events that led to the firing of Don Imus and the rise of hate crimes against immigrants form the context for several panel discussions.

"I think it's important that we bring to light issues that are important to us and at the same time improve the situation for many Latino journalists," said NAHJ 2007 co-chair Veronica Villafane. "We can have some serious conversations and not just affect us but other people."

Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton will appear on the panel, "MacArthur Park and Beyond: Can the LAPD, Immigrant Groups and the Media Ever Trust Each Other Again?"

With heiress Paris Hilton returning to custody today, she might want to take advantage of a new website started by the ACLU of Southern California,

Saying it want to provide information and maintatin basic standards of living for inmates and ensure the safety
and health of inmates, security guards, and jail staff, the ACLU said the website includes links for families and inmates.

Nearly 20,000 Angelenos call jail home every day. Approximately 90 percent have not
been convicted of the crime they are charged with. Yet inmates lack medical services and
basic sanitation and face disease and violence.

The website includes information on:
• How to locate and visit an inmate
• How to file a complaint about jail conditions
• Information on inmates’ rights, including basic living standards and the right to vote
• A glossary of basic jail terms
• Press releases on recent jail news
• Further resources, such as links to information on public defenders, parole, and
probation
• How to volunteer to help our work

the porn industry is made up for families. How they reconcile their jobs with thier lives is explored in the final part of the Daily News series examining the porn industry.

Karen Stagliano talks to her 6-year-old daughter about nearly everything - how her brain works, how astronauts breathe in space - but they never talk openly about mommy's job.

Stagliano, 32, formerly appeared in X-rated movies and now works as a spokeswoman for Evil Angel, an adult-film company in Van Nuys run by her husband, John.

"She definitely doesn't know that I was a model," Stagliano said of her daughter. "She's seen some pictures of me in bikini-type things, very innocuous, less racy than you would see in Maxim. She's seen that but doesn't think anything of it. She just says, `Mommy, that's a pretty swimsuit.

A bill to create a grant program to help stem runaway film and TV production cleared the Assembly today and is now headed to the Senate.

The bill at this point is still a little lacking in detail. It directs the California Film Commission to draft rules by next March for a grant program to give financial incentives to the entertainment industry for keeping film production within California. But it doesn't say how much money will be available for the grants or where the money will come from.

Assembly Bill 1696, authored by five Southern California lawmakers, passed by a 51-17 vote.

A separate measure, SB40, to grant a tax credit to the industry for keeping productions in California is still pending in the Senate, though similar bills have failed several times in the past five years.

Assemblywoman Nell Soto, D-Pomona, who has been out sick for the last two months battling pneumonia, is expected to return to work within the next week.

Soto, who turns 81 this month, has been absent from the Capitol since March 8. Her Assembly colleagues have been helping to shepherd her bills through the legislative process. So far, 15 of her 23 bills this year have been approved in the Assembly and moved to the Senate.

Soto's chief of staff, Paul Van Dyke, said while she still has pneumonia, she is well enough to return to work. When she does return, she will have to be driven to Sacramento, he said, because her doctors have advised her to avoid the cabin pressure of air travel.

"She still has pneumonia," Van Dyke said. "It's getting better, but we need to be extremely cautious. But her condition has improved."

A story on Soto can also be found in today's Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, a sister publication to the Daily News.

During the past few years, Craig Gross and Ron Jeremy have grown close and, despite diametrical career choices, have come to respect and appreciate each other. the firfth part of the series in today's Daiily News.

Gross is an ordained minister who leads the anti-porn crusade XXXChurch.com and considers masturbation a sin. Jeremy is a secular Jew who has performed in 1,900 porn flicks.

"I have nothing against Ron Jeremy," Gross said as the two men drew a crowd while chatting at the Adult Entertainment Expo here earlier this year, singing "We Are the World." "I love this guy. I love hanging out with him."

How the war on porn has changed. While some still rail against the industry, others like Gross try to reach out to it and change the lives of those who earn their living in it, or those who have been touched by it.

Members of a Chatsworth church pray for the end of pornography and the healing of those it has harmed. Christian men gather to confess their Internet-fueled addiction. Rehab centers in Colorado and Kentucky provide short-term and months-long escapes more commonly used to treat drug abuse.

In the adult-ente

In recent years, public relations and marketing firms have increasingly embraced astroturf or phony grassroots community groups to support corporate causes and counter real community opposition.

So some Sunland-Tujunga residents were suspicious when two groups _ Stop Racism and Friends Involved in Restoring Sunland-Tujunga _ popped up to support a proposed Home Depot that has been blasted by the local neighborhood council and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel. The Web sites looked awfully similar. They were created around the same time and they're hosted by the same Web hosting company.

Is it real? Or is astroturf?

Dakota Communications, one of Home Depot public relations and lobbying firms, said it's real. Yes, the founder of the group, Daniel Haro, worked for Dakota a month ago. But he quit the well-paying job to form Stop Racism because he was troubled by the hateful, anti-immigrant, anti-Mexican sentiments he encountered as he tried to drum up support for Home Depot.

Rick Taylor, a principal with Dakota and political advisor to Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky and former LA Council President Alex Padilla , was appalled that people would question the group's motives.

"Here's a guy who leaves a paying job to come and fight the fight for people," Taylor said. "He should get an award, not get criticized."

The Daily News story today covers the debate. The North Valley Area Planning Commission makes the final decision on the Home Depot today.

Now, here's a new way to get kids to stay in school _ bribe them..

Administrators at Crenshaw High School will announce plans on Thursday to give away two new Toyotas next year to two students who graduate as part of it's Excel in School program.

The rules and student eligibility requirements will be given out on what is required. One hopes that gettinig A's is at least part of the requirement.

The political feud between Assemblyman Lloyd Levine and his now-fired chief of staff Stuart Waldman has generated some chatter in the blogosphere.

The Mayor Sam political blog, which has generally sided with Waldman, has posted many comments from readers, some quite nasty. Click here and here.

Also, conservative Steve Frank has chipped in with his usual sarcasm as well.

Meanwhile, here's a little more regarding the story I filed for the Daily News on Tuesday. Because of space constraints (and not, as cynics so often think when these things happen, because of some political agenda) some quotes had to be cut from the story.

But since the magic of the Internet includes fewer restrictions on news copy, here is some additional material:

Waldman's Assembly race rival Bob Blumenfield, an aide to Congressman Howard Berman, said he has heard the rumors but he is not involved in whatever happened between Waldman and Levine. He said there is no political deal between his boss and the Levine camp.

"It sounds kind of crazy to me,'' Blumenfield said.

Larry Levine, he said, is a well-known consultant who knows the district and he is not looking to hire him for the sake of winning Lloyd Levine's support.

Larry Levine also said there was no connection between his decision to assist Blumenfield and his son's decision to fire Waldman, or the possibility of Berman endorsing Levine's Senate bid. He said he has known Berman since 1970, when they worked on a political campaign together.

"Is there any one-to-one correlation with my involvement with Blumenfield and anything that may happen down the road with Howard? Absolutely not," Larry Levine said.

He added that he has not yet been formally hired to run Blumenfield's campaign, but has been informally advising him for free.

Not everyone is buying into the conspiracy theories.

Attorney Jeff Daar, former chairman of the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley, said most people in political circles that he talks to have been withholding judgment until they hear more about the situation, and that in the end it is not likely to make a big difference in either the Assembly or Senate campaigns.

Daar has known Waldman, Levine and Blumenfield for years. He has endorsed Waldman's Assembly campaign and Levine's Senate bid.

"I'm not sure frankly if it's going to matter to me who's right or wrong -- assuming there is a right or wrong," Daar said. "Somebody was fired. Those things happen. It's politics -- people change their endorsements."

Los Angeles residents would pay 6 percent more for water and 9 percent more for electricity over the next two years to cover the cost of replacing the city's outdated utility systems, DWP officials said Tuesday. Staff Writer Kerry Cavanaugh reports on the proposal in today's Daily News.

The rate hikes are part of a $4 billion budget for fiscal 2007-08 that was tentatively approved by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners. While the agency plans to consult with neighborhood councils and hold at least six
public hearings before adopting the rates in October, board members indicated they support the proposed hikes.
"I think we have to face up to the investments that we must make. We have to have a very honest conversation with the people of Los Angeles that those investments don't happen for free," said board President H. David Nahai.

"When people realize you have choices to make between outages on the one hand and investing in reliability on the other hand, I think the people of L.A. will vote for the investments we're proposing.

"I think I can, with a very clear conscious, support it."

The rate increases come as the DWP launches a five-year, $1 billion plan to upgrade its power system, which suffered massive outages during last summer's record-breaking heat wave.

Much of the DWP's power system - poles, cables and circuits - were installed in the post-World War II building boom and need to be replaced.

Amid concerns that a plan to expand the authority of Los Angeles County's chief executive would revive the days of "back-room deals," the County Counsel's Office issued a report Tuesday detailing how the plan would comply with the state's open-meeting laws. Staff Writer Troy Anderson details the concerns in today's Daily News.

But even as officials sought to reassure the public that new authority for the office would be open and transparent, the counsel's office stamped its report "confidential."

County Counsel Ray Fortner said virtually all memos to the Board of Supervisors are considered confidential communications between the board and its attorney.

"This was just following our standard practice," Fortner said.

The porn industy has gone mainstream.

Nautica Thorn was strolling the aisles at Blockbuster one night, just browsing for a video, when she did a double take.

There, on the shelf amid the action films and romantic comedies, sat a sex-laden adventure on the high seas starring porn stars Jesse Jane and Janine.

"I was just getting a movie to watch and I saw `Pirates.' I thought, `Wow, that's cool,"' Thorn said. "When I was a kid, I remember staying up late at night with the cable box, watching the little squiggly lines, hoping you could see something. You were like, `Ooh, I think I can see something."'

Thorn's shock is surprising, seeing as how she's a porn actress herself. And she knows firsthand how the adult industry flirts with mainstream appeal and exposure.

The 23-year-old star of "Teeny Tarts 4" and president of Hollywood-based Nautica Thorn Productions made a name for herself getting naked on camera. That name pushed her into mainstream consciousness recently as she appeared on the Fox reality show "My Bare Lady," which featured four porn performers trying to make it in London theater. Produced for a major network and now available for sale on iTunes, the series completely relies on the idea that people like to watch sex on TV.

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo reached a proposed settlement with the Ethics Commission over reporting errors with his officeholder account. He will pay a fine of $11,450 to settle the charge.

The agreement states that Delgadillo's campaign treasurer didn't provide a detailed itemization of 25 officeholder expenditures and that five expenditures were during the 2005 election blackout period when he wasn't supposed to use the account.

The commission will consider the settlement at its June 12 meeting.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will again join television and film stars the 49th annual Hollywood Stars Game on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. The celebrity game is scheduled to begin at 5:15 p.m., prior to the Dodgers taking on the Toronto Blue Jays.

Fans are invited to watch from Dodger Stadium's outfield grass and warning track to watch their favorite Hollywood celebrities play. FSN Prime Ticket's Steve Lyons and Patrick O'Neal will coach both teams of stars.

In addition to Villaraigosa, others scheduled to play include Michael Clarke Duncan, Luc Robataille and James Denton, among others. Kevin and Bean from KROQ will emcee the event.

Full press release from the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Joining in the local effort to honor former Mayor Tom Bradley, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday urged the U.S. Postal Service to issue a stamp in his name.

The request was sent to the federal Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee, which is considering the proposal that was first made by the City Council. The committee selects 20 to 30 subjects for commemorative stamps from a list of about 50,000 suggestions a year.

Bradley was mayor of Los Angeles from 1973 to 1993 and was the first African-American mayor elected in a major city. He is credited with boosting international trade and overseeing the city's hosting of the 1984
Summer Olympics.

A native of Texas, Bradley's family moved to Los Angeles and he graduated from Poly High School and attended UCLA, where he ran track. He became a lieutenant in the Los Angeles Police Department, making
him the highest-ranking black member of the force at the time.

He went on to a successful career in city politics, winning election to the City Council in 1963 before defeating former Mayor Sam Yorty for mayor in 1973.

Bradley died Sept. 29, 1998, of a heart attack at the age of 81.

Gina Marie Lindsay, the new executive director of Los Angeles World Airports will be paid $305,015 a year, the maximum allowed under the City Charter, under an action by the city Airport Commission.

Lindsey was hired to succeed Lydia Kennard, who left in January to become chief executive of a new aviation-related real estate company.

Lindsey served as managing director of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport for 11 years.

Nearly a year after a heat wave triggered mass power outages across Los Angeles and exposed problems in the city's aging electrical system, the DWP has replaced thousands of transformers, repaired hundreds of problem circuits and hired private crews on standby. Staff writer Kerry Cavanaugh details the challenges in today's Daily News.

But as Los Angeles prepares for another potentially record-breaking summer, some are questioning whether the repairs will be enough to keep the power on.

"There will be widespread outages in the West Valley, West Los Angeles and downtown," predicted Brian D'Arcy, business manager of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 18, which represents more than 80 percent of DWP employees.

"They've done pretty much nothing since last summer. They need to hire people. They need to start doing load-testing.

"At the very least, they need to warn people in Los Angeles that there is a plan if they lose power."

Department of Water and Power managers, backed by the board overseeing the utility, dispute D'Arcy's assertions and say they are confident this summer will not be a repeat of last year.

General Manager Ronald Deaton said the DWP has replaced problem equipment, hired extra emergency crews and improved customer response.

The soap opera that has surrounded Assemblyman Llloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, and his decision to fire his chief deputy, Stuart Waldman, continutes to reverberate throughout the Valley.

It has has sparked controversy within San Fernando Valley political circles, as activists debate whether the lawmaker is putting politics over personal loyalty as reported by Sacrfamento bureau staff writer Harrison Sheppard in today's Daily News..

Levine, fired Waldman last month and later withdrew his endorsement for Waldman to succeed him in his Assembly seat. Instead he is now backing Bob Blumenfield, an aide to Rep. Howard Berman. Levine, who is termed out of the Assembly, is seeking a state Senate seat next year.

Levine has not given a public explanation for the firing, calling it a confidential personnel matter. Waldman and his backers say it was all part of a political deal to get Levine the support of the influential Berman in his state Senate run.

Political consultant Larry Levine, the assemblyman's father, is advising Blumenfield in his Assembly bid.

Waldman said he was "disappointed in Lloyd Levine," but not deterred from continuing his campaign.

"It's a shame," Waldman said. "It's very disheartening. It's a situation like this that is the reason people are turned off by politicians and politics."

Te San Fernando Valley's adult-entertainment industry - long considered the epicenter of the business - rakes in about $1 billion annually, with more than 200 local companies jump-starting a national market worth about $12 billion a year. But while local pornography firms employ about 6,000 people, only a fraction of the industry's massive profits actually trickle back to the Valley It is detailed in this third part of a series examining the industry.
n the past 15 years, the industry's local growth has nearly quadrupled, with annual revenues now equal to the Valley's restaurant, fast-food and bar businesses combined.

But while local pornography firms employ about 6,000 people, only a fraction of the industry's massive profits actually trickle back to the Valley. And loopholes in city business taxes minimize the amount firms have to pay into Los Angeles' coffers, raising questions about the industry's contributions - economic and otherwise - to the region.

"Don't turn up your nose," said Jack Kyser, chief economist of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp.

"This is creating jobs for people, a revenue stream, and though you may not personally approve, there's a huge market out there."

He's been home for a couple of weeks now and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is off again this week for another lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., this time with Police Chief Bill Bratton joining himm.

The two are scheduled to testify on Tuesday before a congressional committees to urge adoption of a comprehensive gang reduction legislation that would provide more money to local jursidictions.

Villaraigosa and Bratton will testify before the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate to voice support for Senator Dianne Feinstein*s Gang Abatement and Prevention Act of 2007, which would establish tougher federal penalties for gang violence and provides more than $1 billion in funding for prevention, intervention and suppression programs over five years.

Villaraigosa said the money is critical to supplement his gang reduction plan.

The Daily News continues its examination of the porn industry in a week-long series.
The danger and continuing threat of HIV-AIDS is explored and how the industry has responded -- or not -- to the peril.
Also, an interview with Sasha Gray, not your typical girl next door who fell into porn and the downside for those once worked in the industry.
A special forum for readers comments also has been established.

Iin troday's Tipoff column, we take a look at Councliman Jack Weiss and his effort to fight the recall campaign launched against him with an appeal for help from his colleagues -- without much success.

Weiss was formally served with a recall notice last week and has three weeks to publish a response. Recall proponents will then have 120 days to collect 23,000 signatures that are needed to qualify a recall — a daunting task in the best of circumstances.

In the meantime, Weiss' colleagues are watching with fascination and a bit of guilty pleasure at the troubles Weiss faces even as he prepares to run for city attorney in 2009.

"Jack is getting what he deserves," said one council member who asked not to be identified. "If he treats his constituents like he treats us, this is no surprise."

One recent example came last Tuesday when Weiss passed on attending a City Council meeting to instead attend a Police Commission meeting.

The council was nearly forced to adjourn for lack of a quorum and the council had to wait nearly 30 minutes before starting.

"There was no reason for J

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's staff has come up with a variety of the dog ate my homework.

Asked last week if the governor had violated U.S. law by smoking a Cuban cigar during his recent trip to Canada, spokesman Aaron McLeer said there was no way to dtgermine if it was one of he banned prdoucts.

"He stopped and bought a cigar and smoked it on the way to the airport," McLear said.

Was it a banned Cuban cigar?

"There's no way of telling now because he smoked it," McLear said.

The governor's love of stogies did serve to help one group, however.

Americans convicted of violating trade regulations can be sentenced to fines or prison, but it wasn't clear Friday if

The Stop Smoking for Good Co. in Canada selected the governor for a special award it is caling: " As-A-Role-Model-You-Truly-Suck” Celebrity Smokers’ Award.

Along with the award comes a public challenge for the governor to stop smoking for good - both in private and in public.

Associated Press photo

Somewhere in a garage, a guy, a girl and a camera are chipping away at the San Fernando Valley's great, unspoken business - pornography.

The Daily News on Sunday began a series looking into the porn industry _ the business everyone knows about but few talk of.

Nearly everyone knows it's there. Nearly everyone has a story about it, about running into a porn star at the gas station, a neighbor who used to do scenes, a preschool parent who looked strangely familiar.

The industry rakes in billions in revenue each year and has become increasingly mainstream. Actors show up on talk shows. Its showcases take over swank Hollywood hotels and the Los Angeles Convention Center.

UCLA will bestow the UCLA Medal on four people this commencement season in recognition of their exceptional contributions as leaders in the fields of public service, architecture and legal affairs. The award is the university's highest honor.

At separate UCLA commencement ceremonies in June, the UCLA Medal will be presented to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a UCLA alumnus who is also a former speaker of the California Assembly; former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who also served in the House of Representatives for more than 20 years; Chien Chung ("Didi”) Pei, who with his father, I.M. Pei, designed the new Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center; and Morgan Chu, a leading attorney and UCLA alumnus.

UCLA Acting Chancellor Norman Abrams said the medal is awarded to those who have made extraordinary and distinguished contributions to their professions, to higher education, to society or to UCLA.

If there was doubt that time spent smoking fine cigars can forge friendships, the Cigar Aficionado web site points to a Wall Street Journal article this week and the relationship forged by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Speaker Fabian Nunez -- all because of their fondness for cigars.

The website notes the Republican governor and Democratic speaker had gotten off to a poor start in their relationship: Schwarzenegger dubbed Núñez and his fellow Democrats "girly men," while the speaker once "declared political war" on Schwarzenegger.

Today, the two are friends, thanks to cigars.

According to the piece, the two have smoked cigars in Schwarzenegger's smoking tent set up outside the Sacramento capitol building, plus they have smoked together at Schwarzenegger's home.

"Their journey toward rapprochement -- one part political calculation, another part personal ties forged over cigars in the governor's backyard -- helps explain why California is beginning to solve problems that have vexed the Golden State for years," the newspaper reported.

Former Los Angeles city commissioner Leland Wong is facing another felony charge stemming from the Hahn Administration pay-to-play and conflict of interest investigation. Wong was an appointee of former Mayor James Hahn and has been accused of profiting from his position on the Los Angeles Airport Commission.

Rick Orlov has the story today.

Regular readers of the Daily News may remember a more seedy bit of information that came out of the Wong investigation last year. Former Deputy Mayor Troy Edwards told a grand jury that Wong paid for 90-minute, $130 massages that included sexual favors. That case is still pending.