September 2007 Archives

As the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power seeks a hefty taxpayer rate hike, a Daily News review of salary data shows the average utility worker makes $76,949 a year - or nearly 20 percent more than the average civilian city worker. Beth Barrett in the Daily News.

More than 1,140 of the utility's employees - or about 13 percent - take home more than $100,000 a year. And General Manager Ron Deaton, who is on medical leave, rakes in $344,624 a year - making him the city's highest- paid worker.

DWP salaries are on average higher than city and far higher than private-sector workers' even as the utility has come under fire for recent power outages and another round of rate hikes: A 9percent, three-year electric-rate hike and a 6 percent, two-year water-rate hike

Even more:
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Go here, for a complete data base on the salary of all DWP workers.

With the glut of advertisements hitting airline passengers everywhere from terminal walkways to in-flight magazines, companies will soon reach new heights in hawking their wares. Art Marroquin in the Daily News.

Signs the size of three football fields are expected to appear along the flight paths of Los Angeles International Airport and other international aviation hubs as part of a marketing blitz crafted by Ad-Air, a London-based advertising agency.

The signs are designed to lie flat on the ground and be spotted by passengers on inbound and outbound flights, said Kate Rosser, an Ad-Air spokeswoman.

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan endorsed Rudy Giuliani for president Friday, then suggested that the one-time New York mayor is too liberal for conservative voters in the California primary. Associated Press.

Riordan, a moderate Republican who was elected to two terms as Los Angeles mayor, spoke as Giuliani campaigned in the city and visited Riordan's famed restaurant, The Original Pantry Cafe.

"Rudy Giuliani is too liberal for the solid, right-wing Republicans in California, that part of the party," Riordan said. "But I do believe, when it comes to the presidency and the national election, these people may put that apart and look at him as the type of leader our country needs."

A major New York fundraiser for GOP presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani has been revealed as the money man behind a proposed ballot measure that would have changed California's winner-take-all Electoral College vote system - and likely benefited Republicans. San Francisco Chornicle.

Paul Singer, a billionaire hedge fund executive and Giuliani policy adviser, acknowledged his role to the New York Daily News on Friday just a day after GOP organizers in California said they were folding their effort to collect signatures for the group called Californians for Equal Representation.

The Chronicle reported earlier this week that Missouri attorney Charles Hurtt III was the legal agent for a tax-exempt corporation called "Take Initiative America," which provided the sole donation - $175,000 - to the effort to qualify the measure for the California ballot.

Hundreds of nonprofit youth groups in the San Fernando Valley and across the city would have to pay to use Los Angeles Unified facilities and athletic fields under plans quietly set to launch next year. Naush Boghossian at the Daily News.

The move comes just two years after district officials abandoned similar efforts after a broad public outcry that it could force youth groups to cancel thousands of worthwhile after-school events.

Superintendent David Brewer III, who is reviewing the options, said a fee is needed to offset the $3.8 million a year the district pays for utilities, maintenance and other costs involved in making the facilities available.

"We're one of only very few school districts that do not charge, including the city, so all we're doing is coming in line with everybody else," Brewer said.

Efforts to halt the planned auction of the historic Van Nuys Library failed Friday when the Los Angeles City Council rejected pleas to retain the building as a cultural landmark. Daily News.

"We have done all we can to keep this, but the city Library Department and other agencies have determined this is the best course of action," said Councilman Tony Cardenas.

"I am not happy about the loss of any services to my district, but I have been assured the money raised from the sale of this building will come back to the residents of the 6th District."

Frustrated at the lack of progress in improving Los Angeles' traffic gridlock, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced a major restructuring in the city's transportation department Friday. Daily News.

At a City Hall news conference, Villaraigosa said he is moving Rita Robinson from the Bureau of Sanitation back to temporarily take over transportation. The current general manager, Gloria Jeff, resigned, he said.

Robinson had been a deputy general manager in the department before being named to head the Sanitation Bureau.

Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks, is introducing a resolution calling for a three-state solution in Iraq.

The nonbinding measurel is similar to one that Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Joe Biden, passed in the Senate earlier this week to break Iraq into Kurdish, Sunni and Shia sections.

But, Gallegly spokesman Thomas Pfeifer said, the congressman has been considering the concept of federalized regions for years -- on his own.

``They are simpatico, but he's not doing it because Biden did,'' Pfeifer said of the resolution.

Gallegly's bill calls for Iraq to remain unified but for Shiites, Sunis and Kurds to be granted powers in federal regiosn to conduct most day-to-day government functions. The central government would be in charge of national issues like the sharing of oil revenue and foriegn policy.

“Sectarian violence is a major component of instability in Iraq, and I believe the creation of federal districts along sectarian lines would greatly reduce the violence,” Gallegly said in a statement. “Our military success in Iraq coupled with a political solution will resolve the divisions and lead to long-term security in that country.”

Several influential Republicans resigned abruptly Thursday from a political committee established to change the way California awards its electoral votes in presidential elections—a proposal Democrats said was an attempt to rig the 2008 election in favor of the GOP nominee. Associated Press in the Mercury News.

The shake-up dealt a devastating and likely fatal blow to the attempt to change the California vote rules for 2008. The committee was struggling because of poor fundraising, and even Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had said he was dubious about the idea of changing the rules.

"Sometimes it just doesn't work out," said Kevin Eckery, a committee spokesman who also resigned Thursday. "The money hasn't been coming in the way it needs to come in."

A budding "lights out" movement could darken Los Angeles County for one hour next month. Allison Hewitt in the Daily News.

The plan is to turn off as many lights as possible - in homes and offices, government buildings and public landmarks - to reduce pollution and raise awareness about energy conservation. Lights needed for safety reasons, such as streetlights and stoplights, would remain on.

The effort began in Australia, gained momentum in San Francisco, and got a boost this week when county Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke introduced a motion supporting Lights Out Los Angeles.

Los Angeles County beaches had the worst water quality in the state over the summer, despite record-low rainfall and improvements at the notoriously polluted Santa Monica Bay, an environmental group reported Thursday. Daily News.

Heal the Bay assigned letter grades ranging from A to F to 494 beaches along the California coast, based on bacteria pollution levels detected at monitoring stations from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

According to the group, 17 percent of Los Angeles County beaches earned F grades during the summer, making it the worst county in the state for beach water quality.

A $1 billion development that would shape the North Hollywood skyline took a big step forward Thursday as the Metro board approved negotiating with Lowe Enterprises for the massive mixed-use project. Daily News.

Details of the plan will be worked out over the next six months, but the initial deal for the NoHo Art Wave includes more than 1.72 million square feet of retail, commercial and residential development.

The complex on Metro-owned land at Lankershim and Chandler boulevards would revitalize 15.6 acres near a San Fernando Valley subway and bus hub and include 562 housing units - with 15 percent set aside for low-income residents.

Former Gov. Pete Wilson, who had many of the problems on social issues that now confront Rudy Giuliani in his quest for the presidency, came out Thursday to endorse Giuliani for the GOP nomination as actor-director Rob Reiner announced he is backing New York Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic position.

The Giuliani campaign issued a statement, noting:

" Wilson, whose public service in California ranged from serving as Mayor of San Diego to U.S. Senator to two-term Governor, is the latest in a strong delegation of support for Giuliani in California.

"Wilson is currently a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Similar to Rudy Giuliani’s accomplishments as New York City Mayor, Wilson gained prominence by revitalizing San Diego in his eleven years as Mayor. In San Diego, Wilson declared an increased emphasis on public safety and held the city government accountable.

“The Republican Party is fortunate to have Rudy Giuliani as a candidate. Rudy’s executive experience and record of results in New York are unmatched,” said Governor Wilson. “Rudy has proven he is the leader and the problem solver this country needs as President, and he is the Republican’s best opportunity to win the general election because of that.”

“Pete Wilson’s accomplishments in virtually all levels of government in California prove that common sense governing is key to success in public service,” said Mayor Giuliani. “Pete will be an excellent advocate for our campaign and I am grateful to have his support.”

In the meantime, the Clinton campaign quoted Reiner as saying:

Until now, my wife Michele and I have supported all of the Democratic candidates. After watching the candidates debate, stake out their positions on the issues and lay out their visions for our nation, it is clear that Hillary Clinton should be our next president.

Today, I am excited and proud to endorse Hillary Clinton and pledge to do everything I can to elect her.

Hillary has what it takes to get us out of Iraq, and ensure that we truly keep our nation's promise to "leave no child behind."

Calling same-sex marriage a civil right, more than a dozen San Fernando Valley clergy members joined a statewide effort Wednesday to pressure the California Supreme Court to end the ban on gay marriages. Sue Abram in the Daily News.

Ahead of what is widely expected to be the next major state Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage, reverends, pastors and rabbis met at St. Matthew's Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Hollywood to announce they would file 30 amicus briefs, formal documents intended to persuade courts on an issue.

The religious leaders, who were joined by 90 civil-rights organizations across the state that also filed briefs, are hoping to influence the court's decision on an upcoming review of a lawsuit seeking to overturn the ban on gay marriage.

Warning that residential neighborhoods are at risk of being overbuilt, Los Angeles city officials on Wednesday said they will seek to limit future development and bonuses to developers who provide affordable housing. Daily News.

The move comes after county Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky sent a four-page letter to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa indicating his concern that protections approved by voters to limit the height of buildings are in jeopardy.

Yaroslavsky said the density bonuses permitted under a 2005 state law are a "poorly thought-out effort" to increase affordable housing at the expense of residential areas.

Getting a Senate vote on the "Dream Act" bill granting illegal immigrant students a shot at legalization is becoming a nightmare for supporters, who said this week they have been besieged by angry faxes and phone calls. Lisa Friedman and Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Activists said illegal immigration hard-liners have mobilized against the bill. A vote that had been tentatively scheduled for last week was forced off the table, and now advocates said the bill might not see the light of day until next week.

"We still have a good chance of getting a vote, but opponents have made it very clear they will use any and every tool at their disposal," said Josh Bernstein, federal policy director for the National Immigration Law Center.

California taxpayers have foot the Iraq War bill to the tune of $57.8 billion so far -- nearly 13 percent of the total war spending, according to a liberal anti-war group that has broken down war spending state-by-state.

The National Priorities Project estimates come as Congress is considering a $147 billion Department of Defense spending bill. The group estimates that if that and other war-related funding requests are approved, California's share of Iraq spending will mount to $78.1 billion.

That's more than any other state -- hardly a surprise, given California's population size.

The Department of Education this morning announced millions of dolalrs to Hispanic-serving institutions in Southern California.

The money is part if $17.2 million in grant funding aimed at expanding educational opportunities at colleges and other post-secondary school that serve a large number of Hispanic students.

Among the local recipients:

- University of LaVerne: $483,500
- California State University of San Bernardino: $499,994
- Valley Glen, Los Angeles Valley College: $570,693.
- Ventura College: $574,011.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will announce this morning the single largest donation ever made by individuals to Los Angeles schools this morning in his latest effort to raise funds for a plan to control a cluster of them. Daily News.

Real estate developers Richard and Melanie Lundquist will donate $50 million over 10 years to the Partnership for Los Angles Schools, the nonprofit organization that will allow mayoral oversight of two low-performing high schools and the middle and elementary campuses that feed into them.

The money donated by the owners of Continental Development may also be used at other schools, according to Villaraigosa aides.

Los Angeles' $15 million, high-tech camera system designed to catch red-light runners let nearly half of all violators in the San Fernando Valley off the hook last year because the drivers couldn't be identified, according to police data. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

While officials had hoped the cameras would result in a citation rate as high as 80 percent, in the Valley that was running at only 55percent last year.

While the rate citywide is slightly better at 60 percent, critics question the gaps and note that the project is now nearly five months behind schedule with only 26 of 32 cameras in place.

Citing last week's $1.4 million settlement in the hazing of a former firefighter, Los Angeles city officials renewed efforts Tuesday to review the costs and process of hiring private attorneys to represent the city. Daily News.

Councilman Dennis Zine - who opposed the settlement with firefighter Tennie Pierce, served spaghetti laced with dog food - said the case highlights the need to control the cost and activities of city-hired lawyers.

In addition to the $1.4 million settlement, the city is spending an estimated $1 million for Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue to provide analysis and representation in the Pierce case.

In what would be a a multibillion-dollar plan to ease congestion at Los Angeles International Airport, city officials on Tuesday proposed extending the Gold Line light-rail system to provide direct service to Ontario Airport. Daily News.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, joined by officials from San Bernardino County and Ontario, said he will urge the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and federal officials to consider funding the line's extension from Azusa to the airport to help increase passenger access to the facility.

"Right now, Ontario has 7.9 million passengers a year," Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. "We hope to see it grow to 30 million a year to take some of the traffic from LAX.

City leaders challenged the faith-based community Tuesday to spearhead efforts to turn young people away from gangs. Rick Coca in the Daily News.

Recently appointed Los Angeles gang czar Jeff Carr told about 200 people at Shepherd of the Hills Church that the presence of about 39,000 gang members in the city means political leaders have failed to resolve the gang problem.

"We are failing, and we have been failing for almost 30 years," Carr said at the fourth annual San Fernando Valley Faith Coalitions Community Summit.

Amid growing concerns about the effectiveness of Los Angeles' network of neighborhood councils, the City Council on Tuesday began reviewing broad changes that could reinvigorate the panels and strengthen the system of grass-roots democracy. Daily News.

After a two-hour presentation in which council members voiced their own frustrations with neighborhood councils, the proposed changes were sent to the council's Education and Neighborhoods Committee for analysis.

"We will bring this back as quickly as we can, but we have to realize we are a long way from perfection," said Councilman Richard Alarcon, who chairs the committee and has been a longtime supporter of neighborhood councils.

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman is fuming over apparent stonewalling at the State Department in response to his inquiries surrounding corruption in the Maliki government.

The Los Angeles Democrat congressman fired off a letter this morning to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice blasting her for an agency directive forbidding officials to discuss corruption in the Iraqi governmetn unless the committee agreed to treat all of the information as classified, and for her personal refusal to testify.

In addition, he noted that the private security firm Blackwater under scrutiny for alleged use of excessive force, informed hte panel that the State Department ordered it not to turn over documents without agency approval.

``I urge you to reconsider the unusual positions you are taking," Waxman said. "You are wrong to interfere with the Committee's inquiry."

State Department spokesman Curtis Cooper refused to comment, saying he hasn't seen Waxman's letter. But when a reporter offered to e-mail it to him, Cooper declined.

"I still won't have a response," he said.

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, blasted the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday for condemning Israel while ignoring abuses throughout the rest of the world.

Calling the Council’s treatment of Israel ``hypocritical,’’ Berman said the group _ made up of countries with questionable human rights records themselves _ spend ``an inordinate amount of time vilifying Israel’’ while remaining silent on abuses from Uzbekistan to Zimbabwe.

``It has passed one-sided resolutions condemning Israeli human right violations in the Palestinian territories, called several `extraordinary’ sessions on Israeli actions in Lebanon and Gaza, and appointed successive `rapporteurs’ to investigate alleged Israeli `war crimes,’’’ he said.

Berman spoke as the House considered a resolution condemning the council. It passed 416-2.

Berman ``I stand here to criticize the Human Rights Council, simply because I know the UN can do better,’’ Berman said. ``I believe that while the Council is still in its infancy, we can help ensure that it develops into a respected and forceful champion of human rights—not simply another proxy in the vitriolic campaign against Israel.

Violent crime in Los Angeles fell for the fourth straight year in 2006, bucking a national trend and putting the city on track this year to have its lowest murder rate since 1970. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

Violent crime fell by 4 percent in L.A. last year, while nationwide it crept up 2 percent, according to figures released Monday by the FBI.

And so far this year, the city has recorded just 293 homicides, a staggering drop from five years ago, when 656 killings prompted Chief William Bratton, who had just been appointed to head the Los Angeles Police Department, to vow a crackdown on violence.

One year after the LAPD flooded Skid Row with dozens of officers to crack down on crime, a study has found that crime in the area plunged 40 percent but the city has failed to develop any long-term solutions. Daily News.

The UCLA study also found higher crime in communities adjacent to the nearly one-square-mile Skid Row area, as well as an increase in the number of transients in other parts of the city.

It also found that monthly arrests averaged more than 750, with more than half minor drug offenses. Of the 1,000 citations issued month, the majority were for such infractions as loitering and jaywalking.

Defending last week's settlement of a harassment and hazing case involving a former Los Angeles firefighter, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday said the city sent a message that it would not be an easy mark for payouts. Daily News.

Villaraigosa and the Los Angeles City Council signed off Friday on a $1.49 million payout to former Firefighter Tennie Pierce. The deal included $60,000 in back salary that guarantees his pension.

It also includes an additional $1 million to his attorneys and city payments of about $1 million to the private firm of Jones, Day to investigate the case.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed the United Nations today in New York, outlining California's steps to combat global warming and urging other nations to come to new agreements on the issue.

"The current stalemate between the developed and the developing worlds must be broken," Schwarzenegger said, according to a transcript issued by his office. "It is time to come together in a new international agreement that can be embraced by rich and poor nations alike. California is moving the United States beyond debate and doubt to action. So I urge this body to push its members to action also."

A photo essay, video and transcript of the governor's remarks is available on his official website.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed the United Nations today in New York, outlining California's steps to combat global warming and urging other nations to come to new agreements on the issue.

"The current stalemate between the developed and the developing worlds must be broken," Schwarzenegger said, according to a transcript issued by his office. "It is time to come together in a new international agreement that can be embraced by rich and poor nations alike. California is moving the United States beyond debate and doubt to action. So I urge this body to push its members to action also."

A photo essay, video and transcript of the governor's remarks is available on his official website.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed the United Nations today in New York, outlining California's steps to combat global warming and urging other nations to come to new agreements on the issue.

"The current stalemate between the developed and the developing worlds must be broken," Schwarzenegger said, according to a transcript issued by his office. "It is time to come together in a new international agreement that can be embraced by rich and poor nations alike. California is moving the United States beyond debate and doubt to action. So I urge this body to push its members to action also."

A photo essay, video and transcript of the governor's remarks is available on his official website.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed the United Nations today in New York, outlining California's steps to combat global warming and urging other nations to come to new agreements on the issue.

"The current stalemate between the developed and the developing worlds must be broken," Schwarzenegger said, according to a transcript issued by his office. "It is time to come together in a new international agreement that can be embraced by rich and poor nations alike. California is moving the United States beyond debate and doubt to action. So I urge this body to push its members to action also."

A photo essay, video and transcript of the governor's remarks are available on his official website.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Monday he would support legislation to have the state pull its support from investing in Iran.

Here is his statement:

"California has a long history of leadership and doing what's right with our investment portfolio. Last year, I was proud to sign legislation to divest from the Sudan to take a powerful stand against genocide. I look forward to signing legislation to divest from Iran to take an equally powerful stand against terrorism."

After more than a year of study, the panel charged with reviewing Los Angeles' network of neighborhood councils is recommending a myriad of changes to make life a little easier for those who volunteer in the name of grass-roots democracy. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

The panel is urging streamlined elections, simpler bill-paying rules, more intelligible bylaws and an expedited grievance process.

The Neighborhood Council Review Commission rejected the concept of"mini city councils" concept but didstressthe needcalled for less bureaucracy - a move that could significantly reshape the council network.

An ambitious plan to re-establish a passenger-rail line between Santa Clarita and the Ventura coast faces serious hurdles, although all sides agree an alternative is needed to the region's increasingly congested freeways. Patricia Farrell Aidem in the Daily News.

A draft study commissioned in part by the Ventura County Transportation Commission recommends extending the existing east-west Santa Paula line to the north-south railroad that runs through Santa Clarita. There, planners hope to reclaim an abandoned rail corridor through the city's commercial and business hub.

"The most important thing is that we think about it and do some long-range planning so maybe in 30 years, if we start reserving the right-of-way now, we can do something," said Kerry Forsythe, the commission's deputy director.

TIPOFFS: A proposal to review the City Charter again and an urging to look at creating a boroughs system. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa finds support at fundraiser.

In apparent violation of state laws requiring officials to seek bids on big purchases, internal documents reveal that California officials agreed to buy "flex-fuel" vehicles from General Motors during private meetings a month before any bid was issued. Kimberlly Kindy in the Daily News.

E-mails, memos and documents obtained by MediaNews show the meetings took place over five months and culminated with state officials signing a memorandum of understanding with GM for what was then a small pilot project of 50 to 100 vehicles. No other automaker was offered a chance at the deal.

Soon after, the state solicited bids to buy an entire fleet of flex-fuel vehicles designed to run on high-grade ethanol. General Motors dealerships won all of the contracts for what was ultimately 1,300 cars and trucks and $17 million in sales - because they were the only automaker that met the state's qualifications.

He's known as `The King' of Skid Row.

But it's not the baseball cap crowning his head or the karaoke microphone he carries like a scepter that earned Roland Burris the nickname. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

It's the voice - the pain of poverty and addiction coming out in the ballads and blues - that spark comparisons to that world-famous singer.

"He sure sounds like The King, doesn't he?" says Billy Blade, a neighbor of Burris at the Lamp Lodge, a transitional housing complex in the heart of Los Angeles' Skid Row.

Capping a high-profile case that had pitted the mayor against the city attorney, Los Angeles officials agreed on Friday to pay nearly $1.5 million to settle a racial-discrimination lawsuit filed by a black firefighter whose colleagues put dog food in his spaghetti. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

Under the deal, the city will pay Tennie Pierce $1.43 million. He also will get $60,000 in back salary, which makes him eligible to receive his 20-year service pension.

With attorney fees and legal expenses, the cost of the case is expected to be about $2.7 million - about the same settlement that had been proposed by City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo and approved by the City Council last year.

Alarmed that the annual taxpayer tab for teachers' and state workers' pensions and health benefits has soared from $1 billion to more than $5 billion since 2000, California officials called on Friday for fixes to stem the financial outpouring. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The calls come amid growing concern about California's pension crisis, which has deepened over the past seven years as the average county fund has gone from being flush with cash to being at least 9 percent underfunded.

And officials are worried that the state's already massive unfunded liabilities for pensions and retiree health benefits - estimated as high as $300 billion combined - will only continue to grow.