August 2008 Archives

Nature and politics are serving to tone down the Republican National Convention this week.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is among the no shows -- he is staying in
California to try to get Republican legislators to agree to a budget, which will also affect a number of GOP lawmakers.
Also, because of Hurricane Gustav, Sen. John McCain has ordered a toned down event, devoted to the business of the party and little on other else.
A full release of the GOP's plans, as they stand as of Sunday afternoon, follows.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's pledge to avoid signing a state budget unless it includes long-term fiscal reforms has put him in a tight spot. AP in the Daily News.

Such steps will require voter approval, but the window for placing additional measures on the Nov. 4 ballot is shutting fast and the Legislature appears no closer to a budget compromise than it was two months ago.

So what happens if the reforms Schwarzenegger has insisted upon can't be put before voters this year?

Hoping to better track the people who are paid to influence city policy, the Los Angeles Ethics Commission will begin considering this week revising the city's lobbying law. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

The proposed changes are supposed to clarify who is and isn't a lobbyist - and to make it easier for officials to crack down on people who influence city leaders yet do not register as lobbyists.

"We know the public has strong ongoing concerns about the appearance of lobbying and what lobbying can do," said LeeAnn Pelham, executive director of the Ethics Commission.

With a slumping economy and a spike in financial-aid applications, college student Tiffany Dorgan found getting help for school was so tough this year that she had to use her credit card to pay for tuition. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

"It is risky," acknowledged Dorgan, a physical-therapy graduate student at California State University, Northridge.

"But I had to. This is a product of this horrible economy."

Schools across the country are seeing a tremendous increase in demand for student aid this year, fueled both by the slumping economy and rising tuition costs.

Former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown gave his views of the convention to the San Francisco Chronicle.
The lines were terrible, but as conventions go, the Democratic gathering in Denver was the best I've ever been to.
Having said that, let's get real. The buzz rarely lasts, and in the end, the biggest goal of any convention, Democratic or Republican, is to get out of town without any major embarrassments.
And the Democrats did.
Not one big fight. Not one awkward moment.

A chain-link fence shrouded in green nylon defines the shape of the next big thing coming to the West San Fernando Valley. Gregory J./ Wilcox in the Daily News.

The barrier marks the boundaries of The Village, where the Westfield Group plans to develop a $750 million mixed-use project that will link its Topanga and Promenade malls, creating one of Southern California's biggest shopping and entertainment destinations.

Westfield announced plans for The Village last year, saying it will include multifamily housing, offices, shops, restaurants and a four-star hotel.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was at the Democratic National Convention in Denver all last week. But our paths did not cross until he spoke Thursday morning to the California delegation. Greg Hernandez in the Daily News.

His appearance followed the passionate remarks of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom just moments earlier.

It was no easy act to follow.

A poster of Barack Obama covers most of a display window at Jackie Ryan's Afro-centric boutique in South Los Angeles' Leimert Park Village, just one indication of the fist-bumping pride that Obama's presidential bid has inspired in the historic cultural hub of the city's African-American community. Tony Castro in the Daiiy News.

"As an African-American, it's a benchmark for us," Ryan, 70, said Friday morning, the day after Obama became the first African-American presidential nominee of a major American political party.

"It brings hope for people who haven't had (any) for three (hundred) or four hundred years.

Dr. Judy Chu, chair of the state Board of Equalization, provides her views:

The entire day yesterday was spent getting to, being at, and getting out of Invesco "Mile High" Stadium to watch Barack Obama speak as he accepted the nomination for President. There was great anticipation of the speech, and great anxiety on how to get there. At the California Democratic breakfast, I was approached by a woman who said, "You look important. I desperately need a ticket to the stadium. Can you get it for me?" When I said I didn't have any way of getting her one, she said, "I know you can get it for me. It's divine intervention. This is a supernatural moment! It was meant by Jesus Christ for you to get it for me." I tried my best to slip away from her.
At the breakfast, California Democratic Party Chair Art Torres pulled a surprise and had me get up and say a few words - in between the featured speakers, Mayor Gavin Newsom and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa! Fortunately, I had a great story about how Art's mother helped me get my start in politics, how she urged Art to endorse me, and how great it was that Art obeyed his mother.
Before the event, the greatest discussion for delegates centered around logistics. When are you leaving on the shuttle bus? Are we going to be sitting in the sun all afternoon? Bring your sunblock! I'm buying a hat
Getting into the stadium was a physically grueling process. The shuttle busses took over an hour. The security lines took over an hour. The lines were extremely long, and in the hot sun. Some people felt faint and needed medical attention; some people were getting grumpy.
But once inside the stadium, the event was magical. There were 84,000 people in the stadium! There were people in every crevice and corner, crushed against one another. There were people seated seemingly, a "mile high," thus I could understand the name for this stadium.
Every speaker and musical act was increasingly more astounding: Sheryl Crow, Al Gore, Stevie Wonder, and Joe Biden to name a few.
The enthusiasm and energy was boundless and infectious. For over six hours, people chanted, yelled and screamed their sentiments. They waved flags and signs. They swayed to the music and stood up so many times that people in seats behind them had to yell at them to sit down so they could see the stage. It was interesting to watch Gray Davis jump up and down, and wave his flag with so much enthusiasm that one delegate yelled out, "Gray Davis! Down in front!"
When Barack Obama spoke, the entire stadium of 84,000 people was spellbound. His speech was powerful and forceful. He defined himself as a candidate for a cross section of America's people. He talked convincingly about what we needed to do to address policy issues both domestic and international. He took on McCain's accusations forcefully and drew a sharp contrast.
When the Obama and Biden families took to the stage, and the fireworks lit up the stadium and confetti was released over the entire stadium, we all looked up and about in utter amazement. Some people had tears in their eyes. As it finished, some people took the signs laying about and got autographs from one another so they could remember this moment.
As we rode the shuttle bus home, one delegate said to the bus, "Tonight was a great moment in history." That said it all

With the state legislature deadlocked over submitting a sales tax to voters, Secretary of State Debra Bowen advised county elections officials to move forward with their legally required duties in preparation for the November 4, 2008, General Election.
"Rumors have swirled about changing timelines for last-minute ballot measures, so I want to reiterate: The statutory deadline for placing legislative measures on the ballot was June 26," Bowen said,
"In the past, the Legislature and the Governor have chosen to waive laws and place measures on the ballot after the deadline. We are at the point where that is unacceptable. At this late date, 67 days before the election, any more changes would seriously jeopardize the integrity of the election.

Lisa Gritzner gives her views on the final day of the convention at Fox and Hounds Daily

I don't even know how to begin to explain the experience of being at the Mile High Stadium today. I guess you could say that is exactly how I felt - at least a mile high.

It wasn't easy to get there - not for the Obama campaign nor for any of the 80,000 or so people who braved the whole of humanity to be there for this once in a lifetime shot at history. But all in all the stadium held up well. There were some moments where the stadium food vendors thought they were going to run out and some touchy times over getting back to your seats if you left at inopportune times, but overall, the joy of the experience was felt by all.

And, while you may think that sitting in a stadium for 8 hours in the hot sun would be a bad experience, it felt like no time had passed at all. Everyone was jockeying for good seats and getting to know their seatmates. Cell phones, cameraphones and blackberries were so heavily used that we all started to notice lags in the network and many of us powered down to save our juice. I won't be surprised at all if there were record numbers of texts, calls and emails.

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Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she's actively considering a run for California governor in 2010, but wants to see the results of the November election before she makes a decision. Mercury News

Feinstein, who didn't attend the Democratic convention in Denver because of a broken ankle, told the San Francisco Chronicle that she might choose to stay in Washington if Democrats gain a large enough majority in Congress to move major legislation.

"I can't say that since this (convention) started I haven't thought about it, because I have," Feinstein, 75, said Thursday of a possible run. "I want to see how close to 60 votes we can get in the Senate, what the committee structure is and how best I can use my time."

Welcoming administrators back to school Thursday, Los Angeles Unified Superintendent David Brewer III outlined new measures to track student performance and urged educators to work harder to improve test scores. George Sanchez in the Daily News.

Also, following a school year in which there were several reported cases of sexual abuse by teachers, Brewer said the district has developed a new system to report abuse.

About 1,800 principals, assistant principals and administrators attended Brewer's annual address, held at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Councilwoman Sherry Marquez said she is suspending her efforts to proclaim English the official language of Lancaster and will instead focus on passing English-only federal legislation.Karen Maeshiro in the Daily News.

After consulting with the city attorney and the city manager, Marquez said a local English-only ordinance would lack teeth and that city efforts would be better expended elsewhere.

"I'm just leaving it alone for right now," Marquez said Thursday. "Looking at what's going on and everything we're trying to do, we may be better served if the city attorney works on all the other things."

Dr. Judy Chu, chair of the state Board of Equalization, has been offering her views:

There is an increasing crush of people descending upon Denver as we get closer to the day of Barack Obama's acceptance speech. This includes celebrities. As we California delegates watch the claustrophobic mass of people trying to move on the floor, we spot celebrities.
'Look, there in the white hat. It's Spike Lee!'
Those news cameras over there. They're talking to Jamie Foxx!'
That shiny bald head right there. It's James Carville!'
Daniel Kim from Lost!'
Up there in the balcony! Chelsea Clinton!'
I asked someone who was the strangest person they've seen. She said, 'Mitt Romney. He seemed to be scurrying to CNN to do Republican spin.' She showed me a picture that she took of the back of his head, every hair in place.
CNN and FOX have been trying to portray this convention as being very divided and contentious. I don't see this at all. I have talked to many Hillary delegates, who talked about being heartbroken after Hillary lost. I have the button with '300' on it, referring to the 300 signatures needed to ensure that Hillary's name is placed in nomination. But the sense that I got was that the delegates wanted to ensure that Hillary got the dignity and respect that she deserved in this convention, after having run such a pioneering campaign.
I was thrown for a loop yesterday morning when I discovered that the California delegation had to vote early because we were so large. Thus, we had to vote at the California Democratic delegation breakfast, before the official convention vote took place. I am 100% behind Barack Obama, but at the same time, I am an appointed elected official delegate for the Hillary Clinton campaign. What were we supposed to do?
I asked several people, and there was no definitive answer or direction from the Hillary campaign. However, I finally got the impression that we were free to do what we felt we had to do. Since I was appointed by the Hillary campaign, I voted for Hillary, assuming that somehow a later vote would ensure Barack Obama's nomination.
There were many Hillary delegates that felt the same way. Early that afternoon, Hillary spoke to her delegates and said, 'I've cast my vote this morning for Barack Obama. But I understand it if you feel you were elected to be a delegate for my campaign. I am releasing my delegates, but do what you feel you must do.' Ultimately, the California delegation vote was 273 to 166.
Later in the afternoon, both names were put in nomination, and the roll call commenced. State by state, the votes were announced, though California passed temporarily. When Illinois came up, everybody assumed that they would be the ones making Barack Obama's nomination. But they ceded to New York, and suddenly, there was a huge commotion over in the New York section. Hillary Clinton was coming down the aisle, and in the most dramatic moment of the day, stopped the roll call vote and asked that the convention endorse Barack Obama's nomination unanimously. The crowd went wild.
It was a night of incredible speakers, but I asked delegates which ones were the most memorable. The one most often named was Bill Clinton. They said, 'He's the master speechmaker,' 'He knows how to put things in the right perspective,' and most importantly, 'He made it okay for me to fully support Barack Obama.' The words and actions of Bill and Hillary Clinton were healing and the turning point in the convention.
The other person most often named was Beau Biden, the son of Joe Biden. He talked about the circumstances that Joe Biden faced in being elected, but not yet sworn in to his Senate seat, when there was a car crash that killed Biden's wife and daughter , and seriously hurt his two young sons . I saw several people wiping tears away as they listened to the story. As one delegate said to me, 'For anyone who is a parent, it is unimaginable to have faced those kinds of circumstances.'"

The master of ceremonies in the theater auditorium at Denver's Westin Hotel stalled for time before a restless audience Wednesday. Sacramento Bee

"Elvis is in the building," he insisted an hour into a "Better Tomorrow Forum" featuring authors, economists, venture capitalists and other political deep thinkers. "Mayor Newsom is moments away."

But it was one rare appearance that this Elvis of the Democratic National Convention wouldn't make.

Delegate Lisa Gritzner gives her views for Fox and Hounds Daily of the convention:

One of the things I wish I could take home with me from Denver is the rekindling of the spirit and soul of American politics that I have felt so greatly here. In every restaurant and every bar, on the streets and in every conversation - people are invested, interested and engaged. I have to keep reminding myself that this isn't "real life" - but I wish it was. Wouldn't it be amazing if when our political leaders spoke, people really did stop their idle chatter and pay rapt attention to the words and the issues?
Well, for one week here in Denver, government means something, our future makes a difference, and people everywhere feel a sense of ownership.
And I think that's what makes this time in our political history so special. For the first time in what has been a long, cold winter, people are shedding the apathy and disenfranchisement of the past 8 years and are waking up to a new America. One where things don't just happen but where people have a voice and a say in their future.

The seminal moment in the lives of many African-Americans who came of age in the 1960s often is related to the civil-rights movement: the Supreme Court desegregation of public schools, the freedom marches in the South, the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

But Morris Pichon, himself a son of the South, says the most pivotal moment in his life occurred this year.

"The Iowa caucuses," said Pichon, a 66-year-old retired Lockheed Martin Corp. manufacturing analyst who lives in Pacoima with his wife, Barbara. "When I saw that Caucasians in Iowa were going to the polls and voting overwhelmingly for Barack Obama, a black man, I knew that for the first time, after all these years, Americans had woken up.

Assessors in Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Wednesday warned homeowners to be on the lookout for a "Property Tax Reassessment" letter that asks recipients to pay $171 for a reassessment and threatens a $67 late fine if the service is not used.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Ventura County Assessor Dan Goodwin said property owners are receiving solicitations from private companies offering to help homeowners lower their property tax bills, a service the assessor provides free of charge.

One solicitation in particular - asking homeowners to send a $171 fee to "Property Tax Reassessment" at a post office box in Los Angeles - has the appearance of "almost being a bill," Goodwin said.

Well, tonight's the big night. Barack Obama is set to make his big Democratic National Convention speech at Denver's Invesco Field. Greg Hernandez in the Daily News.

I won't be there because I don't have a ticket. But a lot of the Hollywood stars who are in the Mile High City this week will be - and they shared their feelings about the big speech with me.

"It's such an exciting time," said Lynn Whitfield, who won an Emmy for "The Josephine Baker Story." "I will be there. I cannot wait."

Don't let the recent dip in gas prices fool you. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Despite the declining costs, fewer Southern Californians will be hitting the roads this Labor Day weekend, opting instead to lounge in their inflatable backyard pools or flip burgers on the grill.

This weekend, holiday travel -- which includes driving and flying -- is expected to be 1.4 percent lower than last year, when the number of Labor Day vacationers rose 1 percent, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

When the Republican convention opens Monday night, its prime-time lineup could be missing one of its biggest draws: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Associated Press.
Shackled by the mundane business of state government, Schwarzenegger is vowing to remain in California if lawmakers fail to reach agreement on a state budget, now two months overdue.
"I made it very clear to Sen. McCain when I spoke to him yesterday and I made it very clear to his people that I am honored to be asked to speak at the convention ... and that I would be honored to do anything to help him win the presidency, but that the state of California and the budget is the most important thing," Schwarzenegger says. "So that if I don't have a budget, I cannot speak at the convention."

Delegate Lisa Gritzner is filing reports for foxandhoudsdaily.com

So its the topic on everyone's lips here in Denver. Every person you run into, its the first question they ask. Your answer determines your place in the social hierarchy...you answer incorrectly and believe me, your stock is tanking faster than Countrywide.
Its not what state you're from, its not who you're voting for. No, it's far more important than that folks - it's "what parties are you going to?"
Yes, I thought I would wade into this convention scene slowly. I thought you should hear about the big thinking going on, the beauty of the city, the greatness of our future (fingers crossed) first lady.
So now, I can tell you the truth.
It's not about the politics, it's about the party.
And I don't mean Democrat or Republican...I mean GQ, Rock the Vote, Recording Industry of America (RIAA -THE hot ticket), Sex, Cocktails, and Politics (Planned Parenthood smartly branding themselves), Politico, and Gavin Newsom.

Dr. Judy Chu, chair of the state Board of Equalization, offers her views of Day 2:
Yesterday I had breakfast with about 20 leaders of Asian American Pacific Islanders for Barack Obama. Who then showed up? Maya Soetoro Ng and Konrad Ng, the sister and brother-in-law of Barack Obama.
Maya had just finished speaking at the Democratic National Convention the night before. She said that the most nerve wracking part of it was speaking in between Jimmy Carter and Ted Kennedy! She thought, 'How did I get here?'
Maya is a high school history teacher, and Konrad teaches at the University of Hawaii. Konrad is a Chinese Canadian but went to the University of Hawaii to get his Ph.D., and that is where they met. They are both intelligent, articulate and down to earth.
It is startling to think about this fact because America tends to view race relations as black and white, but Barack Obama's story is also an Asian American one. He was 9 years old and living in Indonesia with his mother, when Maya was born to an Indonesian father. The family eventually moved to Hawaii, where both Barack and Maya grew up.
Maya says that when her father died, Barack decided he had to become the father to her. He took her to visit colleges and universities to see which one would be the best. Family is important to him and raising children with good values is also important. And so she tells the story of taking Barack's two daughters out for ice cream.
She wasn't supposed to because it was close to dinner time. So Maya said to Malia, the older daughter, to not tell her mother.
Immediately, Malia started crying. Maya asked why she was crying, and Malia said, 'Because I can't lie to my mother.'
At the convention last night, there was a cavalcade of Governors and Senators speaking, and the crowd became restless. They were talking so much to one another that I found it hard to hear the speeches. It was actually easier to hear the speeches by listening to the televisions in the hallway. However, there were three exceptions.
The California delegation was ecstatic when State Controller John Chiang spoke. The cheers from our section were loud and strong, and rang throughout the convention center. John is a hero because of his stand against Governor Schwarzenegger's order to cut state workers down to minimum wage. He did a magnificent job on his speech.
The second person to grab the delegates' attention was Governor Brian Schweitzer from Montana. He was quite the character in his cowboy outfit, and is a gun-toting Democrat who does not hesitate to speak his mind. He did not seem like the type to give a major policy speech on energy and the environment, but that he did in a funny and lively way. He exhorted the crowd, getting them to their feet to stand for Barack Obama.
And then there was Hillary Clinton. For her delegates who are going through the five stages of death and dying as they grapple with the fact that she will not be president, this was a difficult and poignant moment. I saw Roz Wyman wiping away tears as Clinton started to speak. I was sitting next to Congresswoman Jackie Speier. As two women elected officials that both had tough times getting elected ourselves, we commiserated on what might have been had there been the first woman President. Hillary was articulate and graceful. She strongly and clearly expressed her support for Barack Obama, and told us all to do the same. She waved, then turned around and disappeared into the curtain behind the stage."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa met with editors and reporters from USA Today and Gannet New Service while at the Democratic National Convention and continued to reject questions about whether he is running for governor in 2010.
"One office at a time:" Asked if he's running for another office -- governor of California, Villaraigosa says "I'm running for mayor again."
"That's the only office I'm running for right now," he adds, with a bit of laugh. "One office at a time."
The transcript and video are available here.

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, via Fox 11:

As part of my role as a delegate to the convention, I was honored to be selected to serve on the Rules Committee. We actually debated many of the Rules of the Convention and the Democratic Party.
The highlight of our meeting was the establishment of a Democratic Change Commission. The committee will consist of 35 members equally divided between men and women and will be geographically and demographically diverse.
After a long and competitive primary campaign, we all felt that it was important to see if there were any ways to improve the nominating process. The Change Commission will consider postponing the first primary or caucus until February; spreading out primaries and caucuses so that there is not a repeat of "Super Tuesday"; and, reviewing caucus rules to ensure everyone has an opportunity to vote.
I'm very excited for my husband Dean and my five-year old son Thomas to arrive soon and enjoy the convention with them.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has had his issues with Barack Obama. But now Obama may be a key piece of Newsom's gubernatorial ambitions. Capitol Weekly

Newsom, who backed Hillary Clinton for president, was snubbed by Obama early in the campaign season. Newsom sources complained that Obama refused to be photographed with the San Francisco Mayor as Obama explored a presidential bid.

Newsom gained national attention for performing gay marriages in San Francisco in violation of state law. In the wake of the 2004 election, in which Republicans used the gay marriage issue to appeal to social moderates in swing states, Newsom was viewed as radioactive by many in the Democratic Party Some even suggested Newsom was part of the reason John Kerry lost to George Bush..

From the Mercury-News:
The Democratic convention is a four-night TV miniseries carefully scripted to win over viewers. But there are also moments of real drama, genuine news and media oddities. How is it playing on the tube?

Life for Bradley D'Aunoy of North Hills is all about making sense of numbers: 1,375, 971, 404. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

He has to raise his family of seven on a $1,375 monthly disability check. And when he pays his mortgage of $971, he is left with $404 to feed, clothe and take care of himself, his wife, a 16-year-old daughter and four grandchildren who live with them.

"It's hell trying to make ends meet," said D'Aunoy, 48, a former studio animatronics and robotics machinist down on his luck. "All you can do is sit there and wonder if you can cover the next bill."

D'Aunoy is among the poorest of the poor in the San Fernando Valley and part of the poverty equation in California, where Census Bureau data released Tuesday showed that nearly 4.6 million Californians, or almost 13 percent, had incomes below the federal poverty line in 2007, up from about 4.4 million the previous year.

San Fernando Valley housing prices continued their free fall in July, plunging 29 percent as foreclosures mounted at a record pace, an economic research center said Tuesday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The median price tumbled to $453,500, down nearly $20,000 from June and a whopping $186,000 below the median in July 2007, said the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at California State University, Northridge.

At the same time, foreclosures jumped 221 percent, flooding the market with deeply discounted homes seized by lenders. Sales ticked up 5 percent.

In yet another stinging audit of Los Angeles County's Department of Children and Family Services, a new investigation has found that hundreds of social workers in the past two years racked up $1.1 million in vehicle-damage claims that included a host of questionable payouts, officials said Tuesday.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Auditors said one social worker sought reimbursement for vehicle damage while off-duty, others forged supervisors' signatures on claims and dozens of claims for windshield damage were paid out at an average cost of $950 when the usual cost is about $265.

In one case, auditors said, a social worker claimed a vehicle was totaled and filed a claim exceeding $10,000 - more than the vehicle's fair market value - even though a police report described the accident as a minor "fender bender."

Backing off his pledge to sign no bills before lawmakers adopt a state budget, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Tuesday approved legislation designed to strengthen wording of the high-speed rail bond measure on the Nov. 4 ballot. AP in the Daily News.

The Republican governor announced Aug. 6 that he would sign no bills sent to him before lawmakers approved an overdue budget. He had hoped the threat that their bills could end up being vetoed would force lawmakers to compromise.

But on Monday night, Schwarzenegger sent legislative leaders a letter urging them to immediately send him four bills so he could sign them in time to put them on the November ballot.

There wasn't blood on the floor of the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, but there was a deep scratch, and maybe some bruising. Associated Press.

Laura Chick, the controller for the city of Los Angeles, was sitting with California delegates when she grabbed an Associated Press reporter's arm.

"This man just took my chair, knocked into me, look at this!" she said, showing a bright red nick on her arm, and then pointing to her ankle, which she said he had stepped on.

The man in question, who would not identify himself, said: "I am a Clinton delegate and these Obama delegates are mistreating us," prompting groans and eye rolls from those seated around him.

Chick was furious but said she will handle it.

"If he does it again, I'll kick his" rear end, she said.

Becca Doten offers her take on Monday's events and has posted pictures at her web site:
Once the event really got rolling, we got to see just how impressive the production was. The stage has huge video screens that wrap above the stage to the ceiling, where images, colors and shapes are played, accenting the speaker. For instance, for the innvocation and benediction, they played what looked like stained glass. For the Sen. Kennedy introduction, there was a video and behind the major speakers are shapes or color

Dr. Judy Chu, chair of the state Board of Equalization, offers her views of the convention:

The Democratic National Convention is a blizzard of events, each event more crowded than the last. At the luncheon that I attended for my union, the American Federation of Teachers, someone told a story. She said that when she landed at the Denver Airport, she took a taxi.
Making small talk, she asked the taxi driver what country he came from. He said that he was from Ethiopia. She said that she was in town to help Barack Obama become president of the United States.
He looked back in the rear view mirror and said, 'The whole world needs you to help him.'
She was taken aback and said, 'I'm so sorry that I don't know who the president of Ethiopia is or what is going on there.'
He said, 'It doesn't matter. The president of Ethiopia cannot hurt or help you here in the U.S. Your president can do a lot to help the people of Ethiopia or hurt them. That's why the world needs you to help him.'
On the first night of the convention, there was mass confusion as people tried to figure out how to get to the Pepsi Center and where to sit. There were, however, plenty of volunteers providing direction. With heavy traffic and a crush of buses, it took an hour to get there on the shuttle bus and to get checked in through security. Some delegates had gotten there as early as 2:30 p.m. I got there later, and was relieved to find a good seat with the California delegation. Then I realized we'd be sitting there until 9 p.m.
Since this is my first convention, I asked the person I was sitting next to, David Sanchez, President of the California Teachers Association, 'Is this what we delegates do? Listen to speeches all night?'
"'Yep,' he said.
But actually the convention is an overwhelming experience with a crush of people, rousing musical interludes with singers like John Legend, moving videos...and speeches. There was an intricate orchestration of a multitude of signs, held up by the delegates, saying such things as 'Common Values, Common Purpose' one moment, and then 'Michelle' the next.
Most delegates agreed that the most moving moments of the night were the speeches of Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama.
Sen. Ted Kennedy's appearance was entirely unexpected by the delegates, and there was a gasp when he appeared. I suppose people had assumed that because of the brain tumor, it would be too difficult for him to speak. But he delivered a powerful, flawless speech, and it was only when Caroline Kennedy helped him walk around the stage that people could see how frail he was. Then he greeted all the young members of the Kennedy family who were on stage with him. It was very touching to see the different generations of this iconic and compassionate family together in front of us.
Michelle Obama gave a powerful speech as well, showing people that she was a person that middle American could relate to. But the moment that delegates commented on the most was when Barack Obama came on to the video screen, and his youngest daughter blurted out, 'Daddy, where are you?' It seemed so human and the family seemed so close, like people that you would actually want to have as next-door neighbors."

From the Dallas Morning News

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told the Texas delegates -- who are equally divided between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton -- that they must all come together. Tonight is Hillary's big speech and so the surrogates are out in force trying to heal the divisions in the party. Villaraigosa was was a 100 percenter for Hillary, and so he was the perfect messenger -- a guy who loses the love of his life and can turn around in a few short months and find happiness with a new love. "We have an opportunity to come together and put our differences aside," the mayor said. "I was passionate about my candidate and now I'm passionate about Barack Obama." He said other Clinton supporters ask how he could do that -- switch so completely. "The nation and its future is bigger than any candidate," he said.

Monday, Aug. 25, 1:15 pm

It becomes abundantly clear why there are 8 zillion bloggers swarming like little gnats around downtown Denver this week. If ever there was an event made for blogging, it is a major party political convention. Capitol Weekly.

Because, in case you were wondering, there is no news here.

But there is plenty to see, to observe -- plenty of sketches to draw, snapshots to capture. There is no shortage of color. It's news that's in short supply.

Blogs are notorious for elevating the mundane. That's the only way to survive a week like this one in Denver.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain on Monday vowed to compete in California this fall despite trailing by double digits in recent polls, telling donors at a Sacramento fundraiser he will not "take your money and leave." Sacramento Bee.

The Arizona senator gave a wide-ranging speech at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento in which he said the United States is "winning in Iraq," while the nation needs to wean itself from foreign oil by pursuing clean energy and offshore drilling.

Despite his assurances, McCain did not specify how he would mount a competitive effort in California, a state no Republican presidential candidate has won since George H.W. Bush in 1988. McCain trailed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama by 24 percentage points in a July Field Poll.

A report from delegate Becca Doten
So, as a girl from Minnesota, I can't help but be excited that the California delegation is right next to the MN delegation. And though I have yet to see Garrison Keller, I did get to see a couple of my Minneapolis City Councilmember friends and they introduced me to the mayor of Minneapolis, R. T. Rybak...
I just missed Al Franken (running for Senate in MN), but did yell "yay Minnesota!" to him when he walked by, and he waved. :)
Since we often have time to mill about and chat with people during the early convention proceedings, I expect to be stopping by there again!

DENVER - Greetings from Denver! Greg Hernandez in the Daily News.

I'm in the Mile High City for the week covering celebrity events during the Democratic National Convention. And boy, it's celeb central!

In a day-and-a-half, I've chatted up Alfre Woodard, Tim Daly, Angela Bassett, Matthew Modine, Gloria Reuben, Ellen Burstyn, Lynn Whitfield, Alan Cumming, Tony Goldwyn, Rachael Leigh Cook and Dana Delaney, among others.

A massive $800 million proposed development in Universal City that would include a new home for NBC studios would add at least 14,000 car trips per day to the already clogged southeast San Fernando Valley, according to a long-awaited environmental study released Monday.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

The traffic projections for the plan released late last year - one that would create 1.5 million square feet of new commercial, office and residential space to Lankershim Boulevard - drew immediate concern from politicians and neighborhood activists who said the area is already too congested.

"What has been proposed is too intense," said Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge. "This is not a New York City block. This is an odd-shaped parcel in the San Fernando Valley. ...

The union that represents Los Angeles police officers filed an appeal Monday to block a judge's decision that would let the LAPD impose financial disclosure measures designed to root out corrupt anti-gang and narcotics officers. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

The appeal challenges U.S. District Court Judge Gary A. Feess' stern ruling Thursday in which he dismissed union claims that the detailed disclosure forms were an invasion of officer privacy.

The move slows the department's effort to get out from a seven-year-old federal consent decree put in place after the infamous 1990s Rampart corruption scandal.

In the 26-page ruling, Feess rebuked the union for encouraging officers to abandon their posts and not apply for anti-gang or narcotics detail jobs. And he wrote that it was essential to establish a financial base line to determine whether officers are at risk of corruption or living outside their means.

On Monda

As California Attorney General Jerry Brown rolled out medical-marijuana guidelines Monday, state agents wrapped up a rare dispensary bust in which the owner of a Northridge pot shop and an associate were arrested.Brendan Lowrey in the Daily News.

The guidelines say marijuana dispensaries shouldn't operate for profit and ought to keep detailed and accurate records on patients.

The news was hailed by medical-marijuana advocates, who saw it as an acknowledgment that dispensaries can be legal under California's vaguely worded pot laws and hoped for fewer federal raids, as long as they're not operating for profit.

With Sen. Dianne Feinstein sidelined with a broken ankle, former state Sen. Art Torres is stepping up to take over as chair of the California delegation.
Torres is chairman of the state party and was selected as sthe delegation's co-chair with Feinstein earlier this year.
It is Torres who will get to make the speeches on the convention floor casting the votes for Sen. Barack Obama.

If there was any doubt Monday what the theme for Florida's delegation to the Democratic National Convention would be, it was dispelled by 8:30 a.m. Naples News.
That's when Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took the stage to address the 211 delegates, their guests and the media covering them.
"I was the National Chair for Hillary Clinton. As someone who worked hard for her, no matter who you voted for, we have a responsibility to the party to come together and unite," Villaraigosa said.

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti is among a group of young Democratic leaders being singled out at this week's Democratic Conventio nin Denber.
Garcetti, along with state Controller John Chiang and San Francisco District Attorney Kamala Harris, will be featured at a dinner Tuesday night for developing "innovative, bipartisan approaches" to problems facing local government.
"This is not just a historic convention, but also the beginning of a new era for the Democratic Party," Garcetti said. "Our generation will turn the page, toward a better future for our cities and our country with less partisanship and more participation, less ideological gridlock and more innovative solutions."
A number of other local officials from across the country will also be honored at the event.
Garcetti is the incoming chair of the Democratic Municipal Officials Association.

Dr. Judy Chu, chair of the state Board of Equalization gave her views:
It is only for a Democratic National Convention where you would be on a plane with people like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne Burke. The plane was full of people going to the convention. I got to chat with Supervisor Burke about our different strategies for packing liquids. A star-struck passenger was strapped into her aisle seat behind Mayor Villaraigosa, but nonetheless asked another passenger to take a picture of them together.
Of course, both Los Angeles and Denver airports were confusing and crowded. But all over downtown Denver are signs welcoming the DNC delegates, and an army of volunteers stationed at doors and entrances to help direct people.
Surprisingly, the check-in is well-organized. They say there is more security in this convention than any previous one; there are picture id's required to get your credentials, and a multitude of cards required for each event.
Each California delegate got a goody bag filled with many bulky items that would be impossible to pack. Some of the more interesting items are: a box of uncooked "Democrats in 2008" Kraft macaroni and cheese, and a "Fortune Ball," where you ask a question and get your psychic answer.
In the evening, there was a gigantic reception with a New Orleans theme, featuring seafood gumbo. Afterwards, many went off to dinner. At dinner, people expressed their thoughts about whether Obama could really get the votes from all of mainstream America, or whether there was hidden racism. There were questions about whether Asian Pacific Islanders, who voted for Hillary Clinton heavily, would be able to switch over to Obama, and how that might best be done. There were questions about what we Californians would be doing , since the focus for the campaigning would be in other states. There is a great deal of anticipation, anxiety, and excitement for the days ahead.

More from Becca Doten
I think of the Democratic National Convention sort of like Sundance for political people. Sure, there are lots of things to do during the day and work to be done, but most of the fun and the networking happens at the parties.
Which means that all of us delegates have a list of lunches, receptions and parties that we have been invited to, the vast majority of which are free. (Not to mention open bar!)
Sunday night was a relative easy night of events. After checking in and getting my DNC and CDP (California Democratic Party) goodie bags -- and yes, there is a Mayor Villaragosa bobble-head in there! -- I headed out to a 6 PM reception hosted by the Apollo Alliance and a man that I'm a big fan of and consider a friend, Phil Angelides.
The Apollo Alliance is focused on "Clean Energy and Good Jobs" ... the reception was very nice, and I ran into a few Young Democrats that I knew, as well as some not so young Democrats. The highlight of the speaker section was Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who spoke in strong support of the Apollo Alliance and the need to reduce our dependance on foreign oil. Sure, that's nothing new. But hearing it so articulately being spoken about by the Speaker of the House of Represenatatives gives a person hope for action in the future. Especially when we have Sen. Barack Obama as our president!
Soon after Speaker Pelosi spoke, I headed out, and missed the rest of the program. But I had to get to the Convention Center for the big delegate event honoring New Orleans, with main speaker former Governor and now DNC Chairman Howard Dean!

Hillary Clinton came to speak to the Hispanic Caucus Monday and strongly urged Latino Democrats to support Barack Obama. Capitol Weekly.
"I am asking you, those of you who supported me...to work as hard for Barack Obama as you did for me," she said to a raucous standing ovation from more than 200 caucus members.
Clinton blasted Republicans for using her image in ads against Obama. "I know that the Republicans and Senator McCain's campaign are hoping to divide us," said Clinton. "They are running ads using my words and Senator Biden's words. Well, I have seen those ads and here's what I have to say: I'm Hillary Clinton and I do not approve that message."
Clinton consistently polled well with Latinos during the primary election campaign.

Obama's support among Latinos ranks far behind Clinton's. They helped the New York senator win popular-vote primary victorys in Texas, California, New York and other states with large Latino populations.

The Daily News asked delegates to the Democratic National Convention to provide their insights. Here is a report from delegate Becca Doten.
The positive and energetic atmosphere in Denver is contagious. Everywhere you go, there are people you know - Democratic activists, labor leaders and elected officials.
Even as I stepped into the Sheraton, I ran into Congressmember Diane Watson, Senator Alex Padilla*, Assemblymember Lori Saldana and Assemblymember Mike Davis.
A few minutes later I ran into Council President Eric Garcetti, and later Councilmembers Wendy Greuel and Janice Hahn with him. Later I saw Councilmembers Bernard Parks and Tony Cardenas and Mayor Villaraigosa.
Los Angeles is out in force!
I know that Sen. Padilla is on an AM flight back to Sacramento on Monday, so he can get back in time for floor session ... never a break for the Legislature! (And I'm sorry to miss all my other friends who got stuck in Sacto because of the budget impass ...)
Posted by Becca Doten at 9:00 PM 0 comment

As Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's school partnership takes over 10 of Los Angeles' lowest-performing schools, his ambitious reform plan is being met on the campuses with both skepticism and hope.George Sanchez in tDaily News.he

Seven of the 10 schools' principals decided they didn't want to be part of the mayor's experiment and asked for transfers to other campuses just months before classes started.

The others remained, and the mayor has now brought in his own administrators to implement his vision. But while some of those who left said they were just looking for a different challenge or planning to retire soon anyway, others said they didn't have faith in the mayor's vision or methods.

State inspectors will visit storefronts throughout Van Nuys next month as part of a statewide crackdown on businesses that lack licenses and fail to pay taxes.Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

Van Nuys is one of seven communities targeted by the Board of Equalization to ensure that local businesses are collecting sales taxes from customers and maintaining legal licenses.

An estimated 97 percent of California businesses register for state permits. The campaign, called the Statewide Compliance and Outreach Program, targets those that don't.

The Los Angeles Police Department, criticized in high-profile abuse cases from the Rodney King beating in 1991 to the May Day melee last year, is dramatically changing its disciplinary system and doing away with automatic punishment for officers who break the rules. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

In a series of changes this year, direct supervisors are being encouraged to forgo suspensions of officers who they believe will change their behavior - or just made a one-time mistake - and instead opt for written warnings.

This means that issuing personnel complaints - which prompt detailed investigations and are considered formal findings of misconduct - is no longer the standard procedure.

The new process applies across the board - from officers who accidently wreck their squad cars to those who beat or shoot people.

A federal judge has decided not to block a new rule requiring hundreds of narcotics and anti-gang officers in Los Angeles to disclose personal financial information.AP in the Daily News.

U.S. District Court Judge Gary Feess ruled this week that the city's police officers' union had failed to prove blocking the plan was in the public's interest.

Los Angeles Police Protective League president Tim Sands says the union will appeal the judge's ruling.

The measure would affect more than 500 officers. It was proposed to stop corruption and is required under the federal consent decree imposed after a series of police abuse allegations in the 1990s.

Now that those dustracting Olympic Games areabout to conclude, political junkies start their own marathon beginning this weekend and lasting for the next two weeks.
The Democrats, starting on Mondaty, and Republicans, a week afterwards, are holding their national conventions to nominate Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain to being their presidential nominees.
Cable networks are planning a run-up to the events this weekend and will go all out beginning Monday morning,.
For the Democrats, the real show does not begin until 3 p.m. each day and running until people run out of things to say.
Before that, each state and special interest group will be holding their caucuses, trying to get attention for their issue or cause.
After each session will be the corporate parties designed to woo delegates to their cause or issue.
In between will be the maneuvering, partisan bashing and spinning to try to win votger support to the party's nominee.
The Gold Medal will be awarded on Nov. 4.

A turf battle between two Los Angeles city employee unions hit the airwaves Thursday, as one group began running radio ads asking the mayor and City Council to investigate its rival.Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

The Engineers & Architects Association and Service Employees International Union have fought over members before, with SEIU launching an unsuccessful drive in 2002 to decertify EAA and represent its 8,000 workers.

This latest fight comes as SEIU is under fire for alleged financial mismanagement in a local chapter representing home-care workers. The chapter's president, Tyrone Freeman, has stepped down pending an investigation into charges that he funneled union money to firms owned by family and friends.

It arrived on campus in a plain white, No. 10 envelope, mixed in with the daily collection of invoices, fliers and other junk in the regular mail. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Inside the envelope: a check for $5 million.

The gift mailed to California State University, Northridge recently is one of the biggest the campus has ever received - and nobody knows who sent it. The anonymous donor, using a bank based in Scottsdale, Ariz., simply requested that it be used for student assistance and scholarships.

Mark Valles seemed to be doing the right thing for the environment, his wallet and his health. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Not so long ago, the 35-year-old used to ride his bicycle from his Northridge home to the Orange Line station. There, he'd catch a bus with a bike rack and he and his bike would eventually make it to his downtown job. He'd repeat the process in reverse to get home each night.

But after a year of soaring gas prices, Valles began finding the three bike racks on his commuter bus already full every time it pulled into the station - forcing him to wait for another bus and making him late for work more often than not.

The federal government will scrap a program for illegal immigrants to turn themselves in for deportation after only eight people volunteered during a nearly three-week trial, an official said Thursday. AP in the Daily News.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement offered the pilot program in five cities, giving illegal immigrants facing court orders to leave the country 90 days to plan their departure and coordinate travel with relatives instead of facing the prospect of being arrested, detained and deported.

ICE will end its scheduled-departure program when a trial period concludes today, Jim Hayes, acting director of ICE's detention and removal operations, told The Associated Press.

The campaigns of Sen. Barack Obama and Sen.John McCain campaigns agreed to three presidential debates and one vice presidential debate leading up to the Nov. 4 election.
The full release follows:

After years of fighting the education establishment to expand rights for charter schools, the head of the California Charter Schools Association announced her abrupt departure Wednesday to join an international education company.George Sanchez in the Daily News.

Educators across Los Angeles were surprised by the announcement from Caprice Young, who said she couldn't pass up the opportunity to create global education programs with Knowledge Universe.

The Santa Monica-based company was founded by financier-turned-philanthropist Michael Milken and his brother Lowell.

A strike authorization vote Wednesday appeared headed for approval by about 2,500 unionized janitors, wheelchair attendants, baggage handlers and other service workers at Los Angeles International Airport, a move that could cripple travel plans as the Labor Day weekend approaches. Art Marroquin in the Daily News.

The workers, represented by Service Employees International Union Local 1877, are demanding pay hikes, more health benefits and better job training from their respective employers, who are contracted by airlines operating at LAX.

Results of the strike authorization vote were expected to be tallied late Wednesday night. If approved, the workers could walk off the job as soon as today, but union officials said a strike will only be called when all other options are exhausted.

The city's plan to build a $950 million power plant would not only increase the local energy supply but also drive job creation and attract businesses, Mayor Jim Ledford said Wednesday.Karen Maeshiro in the Daily News.

The city earlier this month submitted an application to the California Energy Commission to build the 570-megawatt hybrid power plant north of Air Force Plant 42.

In his annual State of the City address, delivered at a Palmdale Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Ledford touted the proposal as a job-generator during a time of economic challenges.

California is now 50 days into its fiscal year with no budget, and political leaders appear as bitterly divided as ever over how to solve the state's serious fiscal woes.Mike Zapler in the Mercury News.

A meeting Tuesday afternoon between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and four legislative leaders ended with the Republican governor in open conflict with members of his own party, possibly a new low for Schwarzenegger's strained relations with the GOP.

The Republican Assembly leader stormed out of the meeting in Schwarzenegger's office early, all but declaring it a waste of time. Later, in a rare impromptu appearance before reporters, the governor implored lawmakers to remain in Sacramento until they complete a budget.

City Controller Laura Chick confirmed Tuesday reports that City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo is under investigation by the FBI. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

Chick said she had been interviewed in recent weeks by FBI officials about her blocked attempts to audit the workers' compensation division in Delgadillo's office.

"I've had a meeting; that's all I'm going to say," she said. "I've met with the FBI and the U.S. Attorney's Office."

After the meeting, federal authorities requested documents from the Controller's Office. The Controller's Office wouldn't comment on what documents were turned over.

Four in 10 of the patients flooding California's dwindling and overtaxed emergency rooms could be treated elsewhere, but can't wait for an appointment with their own doctor, according to a study released Tuesday. Daily News.

The report by the Public Policy Institute of California offers a portrait of the state's emergency rooms, which have decreased by 11 percent since the 1990s but have seen a 10 percent increase in visits.

And those most likely to go to the E.R. for conditions that could be treated at a doctor's office or clinic are Medi-Cal patients - not the uninsured or undocumented, according to the study, which was based on data from 2005, the most recent year available.

Acknowledging that racial profiling exists among some LAPD officers but is almost impossible to prove, the Los Angeles Police Commission ordered the department on Tuesday to create a mediation process that allows citizens to confront cops they accuse of targeting them because of their race.Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

The commission also demanded that the independent inspector general audit the department's investigations into complaints of profiling - none of which has ever been found true.

"We are not calling people racists," said commissioner John Mack, the former head of the Los Angeles Urban League. "But what we are saying is there are some occasional acts and instances where people are not getting treated fairly based on the color of their skin. So we have to get a handle on it, as objectively as we can."

Six months after the Los Angeles City Council and mayor passed an ordinance requiring owners to spay or neuter their pets, the city has done little to educate the public on the new rule - and will likely rely on voluntary compliance, according to an audit released Tuesday. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

Los Angeles is the largest city in the nation to enact such a strict spay-and-neuter ordinance. The law takes effect in October and requires owners to fix pets 4 months old or older.

City Controller Laura Chick said she looked at the Animal Services Department's existing spay-and-neuter program and found that the agency lacks the strategy, funding and management to effectively enforce the new ordinance.

The way it looks so far, big city mayors are generally being passed over at the Democratic National Convention next week.
Other than host Mayor John Hickenlooper, the early agendas do not have Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa or Chicago Mayor Richard Daley speaking to the national convention.
There has been a lot of talk locally that Villaraigosa might be feeling the pain of being an early endorser of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton even though he has since endorsed Obama, met with him and promised to campaign where ever he is needed.
So far, Villaraigosa is scheduled to speak to the California delegation at a breakfast as well as the New York delegation. In addition, he is speaking to the U.S. Conference of Mayors gathering at the convention to develop an urban agenda for the next administration to address.

U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced she will be unable to attend next week's Democratic Convention in Denver due to a broken ankle suffered last week.
Here is her full statement:
"Last Friday -- the day before the Lake Tahoe Summit -- I slipped and broke my left ankle while I was on a walk with Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher on the Meeks Bay Trail in the Tahoe forest.
My doctor has advised me not to travel in the short-term, and so, regretfully, I am unable to attend what will surely be an historic convention in Denver.
I was very much looking forward to chairing the California Delegation, and I offer my best wishes to California's delegates in this vital nomination process."

There has been and will continue to be a lot of discussion about the so-called Bradley effect and the chances for Sen. Barack Obama to become the nation's first African-American president.
It is a refererence to California's 1982 election for governor involving former Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley and then-Attorney General George Deukmejian.
Bradley had held a wide lead in most public opinion polls, but lost by 50,000 votes.
Pollsters attributed it to voters lying to them, but the answer was actually in a Republican strategy to boost its absentee voter effort that allowed Deukmejian to overcome Bradley's strength on election day.
After that election, both parties began to put more and more effort into absentee voters to the point where they now represent anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of the total vote.

San Francisco FBI agents have begun a criminal investigation of Los Angeles City Attorney Rockard "Rocky" Delgadillo, a one-time rising star of California politics whose career stalled after a series of admitted ethical lapses.San Francisco Chronicle
Sources familiar with the FBI investigation said agents recently went to Los Angeles to conduct interviews in what appears to be a wide-ranging probe of Delgadillo, 48, a moderate Democrat now in his second four-year term.

Los Angeles could lose thousands of affordable apartments in the next five years, as contracts that required building owners to rent to low-income tenants expire on more than 14,000 units.
Search by address, zip code, city, or number of units to find out how many affordable housing units are in your area.

Los Angeles could lose thousands of affordable apartments in the next five years, as contracts that required building owners to rent to low-income tenants expire on more than 14,000 units. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

City housing officials can't predict how many units ultimately will be converted to higher rents or how many poor renters could be displaced - a lot depends on the housing market, the availability of public dollars for preservation and property owners' individual choices.

But Housing Department General Manager Mercedes Marquez said the city must act now to ensure there's not a tidal wave of lost affordable housing in L.A.

TIPOFFS: How officials will pay to attend conventions.

Stung by one of the highest state tax rates in the nation, Californians soon could be paying even more if officials and voters approve an array of new bond measures and taxes now under consideration.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Already on the November ballot are nearly $17 billion in statewide bonds, ranging from $9.95 billion for a high-speed passenger train system linking Southern California to the Bay Area, to $5 billion that would give motorists cash rebates for buying fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Los Angeles Unified School District is asking voters to approve a $7 billion bond measure for school construction and charters. The city of Los Angeles is seeking a $36-a-year parcel tax on all properties to fund anti-gang programs.

Despite ongoing efforts to boost test scores and achievement, Los Angeles Unified students showed only slight gains in state results released Thursday and continued to lag below statewide averages.

And more than two-thirds of the Los Angeles Unified School District's Latino and African-American students fell even further short in math and English standards, triggering renewed calls to end the "achievement gap" facing minority students. George Sanchez in the Daily News.

The LAUSD's Latinos and African-Americans also fell short of their minority counterparts statewide in California's Standardized Testing and Reporting, or STAR, program, which measures proficiency in English, math, science, reading and writing.

"There's a gap, and it's not closing fast," said Ford Roosevelt, president of Project GRAD, a nonprofit group with the motto "Graduation Really Achieves Dreams" that is helping northeast San Fernando Valley students graduate from high school and move on to higher education.

It is the "other" race on the ballot next March. Daily News.

While most of next year's city election attention is expected to surround Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's bid to retain his post, three candidates are vying for the open city attorney's seat created as term limits force out Rocky Delgadillo from a job that will pay $214,526 a year.

All of the candidates are promising to reform an office that has been viewed as charting a course independent from the mayor and City Council - to the point that the mayor has hired his own legal adviser and the council has studied hiring its own attorney.

"This was an opportunit

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday signed into law a revised city ordinance that limits how and when residents can use water outdoors and imposes water restrictions on restaurants and hotels. Daily News.

Residents are now prohibited from watering their lawns from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and from watering more than 15 minutes a day.

The previous ordinance, passed in 1990, banned outdoor watering from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 1 to Sept. 30 and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 1 to March 31.

With Los Angeles' foreclosure rate surging by nearly 300 percent, city housing officials said Wednesday that they hope to help stabilize the market soon with millions of dollars in federal funds that would let them buy and resell homes already or likely to become abandoned. Daily News.

More than $1.2 billion in federal housing aid is expected to be available to California soon, possibly within a month. It is not yet clear how much L.A. would get; funding will be doled out based on need across the state.

Mercedes Marquez, general manager of the Los Angeles Housing Department, said the city is far ahead of other jurisdictions in tracking foreclosures and developing a program to supplement what the market is able to do.

"It's a very difficult line we are walking," Marquez said. "We don't want to replace the market. What we need to do is be strong but flexible in how we approach this."

Los Angeles leaders adopted a new strategy Wednesday that proposes ways to preserve low-income housing, build more homes near transit and look at mandating affordable units in new developments. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

Required in order to get state funding, the Housing Element lays out how L.A. will build 113,000 new homes by 2014 to meet the needs of a growing population.

But the strategy is more idea than action. The City Council and mayor still have to vote on any new program, including the controversial proposal to require developers to include low-income units in new buildings.

Rapidly shifting demographics are expected to sweep across the American landscape, reshaping it into a significantly older and more racially and ethnically diverse population by midcentury, according to new U.S. census projections set to be released today.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Among the changes expected are that by 2050, the number of Latinos in the country is expected to double to account for almost one in three U.S. residents, according to the data.

"Coming to your neighborhood soon - the Los Angeles experience," said population dynamics expert James Ballard, a sociology professor at California State University, Northridge.

In the first step to control day laborers at large home improvement stores, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a measure that could require big box stores to develop centers to provide shelter for the workers. Daily News.

The measure, which several officials said was aimed at Home Depot and its 11 stores in the city, will apply only to stores of 100,000 square feet or larger that will be built - or if existing stores are undergoing major renovation.

The measure still requires the mayor's signature. Most city laws take effect 30 days afterward.

"Today's unanimous vote by the committee builds consensus and
momentum toward a future of freer-flowing traffic and reduced dependence
on foreign oil. Los Angeles County voters have a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to make a once-in-a-generation investment in a transit
system that works for the entire region.
"I will continue to work with the full Senate and the Governor to
ensure that the people of Los Angeles County have the choice to build
for a cleaner, greener, more sustainable tomorrow."

Concerned that a political and legal fight over executive privilege will drain city money, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday asked City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo to drop his lawsuit against City Controller Laura Chick. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

Instead, council members urged mediation to resolve the ongoing dispute over whether Chick has the authority to conduct a performance audit on a workers' compensation program in Delgadillo's office.

"I can't in good conscience use taxpayer resources to resolve a fight between two elected officials when this should be resolved through mediation that doesn't cost the taxpayer anything," said council President Eric Garcetti.

For bicyclist Alex Cantarero, commuting to work can be a death-defying feat.

He follows traffic rules and carefully keeps an eye on the pandemonium around him, but still feels as though he takes his life into his own hands every time he straps on his helmet and pedals into the streets of Los Angeles.Douglas Morino in the Daiily News.

"It's crazy out there," said the 28-year-old graphic designer, who bikes about five miles a day on some of L.A.'s most-clogged arteries - Olympic, Pico and Wilshire boulevards.

"I can't tell you how many times I've been driven off the road, and I am constantly going through these near-death experiences."

Citing recent controversy over fee increases at City Hall, a taxpayer advocate group is urging Angelenos to oppose a parcel tax on the Nov. 4 ballot that would pay for anti-gang prevention programs. Daily News.

But supporters of the measure - including Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton and Sheriff Lee Baca - argue that the $36-a-year levy on all properties will fund programs to keep young people from joining gangs and provide after-school, job training and apprenticeship programs.

The measure will need approval from two-thirds of city voters to pass. If approved, it is expected to bring in $30 million a year to provide a permanent source of funding for prevention and intervention programs.

The County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to bump up property taxes by an average of $11 this year in an effort to rescue the health services department from mounting debt. Daily News.

The increase to Measure B will generate about $45 million in added funding this year, the bulk of which will be used to offset a $93 million deficit due largely to treating uninsured patients in Los Angeles County, officials said.

"Realistically, you cannot take care of that many uninsured people without some assistance from the federal government," said Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke, who voted in favor of the increase.

Escalating their fight over executive privilege, City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo went to court Monday in an effort to prevent City Controller Laura Chick from auditing the workers' compensation program in his office. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

As Chick's auditors arrived Monday morning to interview the city attorney's staff, Delgadillo filed a civil complaint, challenging Chick's opinion that she has the legal right to conduct performance audits on the offices of elected officials.

"We are happy to have these lawyers' work reviewed by an independent reviewer, but not by a politician - and a politician who is gearing up for her next campaign," said Nick Velasquez, spokesman for Delgadillo.

With as much as $40 billion at stake for Los Angeles County transit projects, local leaders on Monday urged state legislators to help them get a controversial half-percent sales-tax increase on the November ballot. Daily News.

While some have decried the plan as shortchanging the San Fernando Valley - only giving it $1 billion for the notoriously clogged Sepulveda Pass - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the funds sought by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are desperately needed across the county.

"Today, the residents and commuters of Los Angeles County are at a crossroads between the past and the future," said Villaraigosa, who chairs the MTA and was joined by county officials, labor leaders and members of the business community.

Plans to increase speed limits on two sections of Zelzah Avenue are fueling outrage from some school and community leaders concerned about safety for pedestrians and bicyclists. Sue Doyle iin the Daily News.

Under proposals the Los Angeles City Council's transportation committee is set to consider Wednesday, speeds could increase on Zelzah from 30 to 35 mph from Rinaldi Street to San Fernando Mission Boulevard. Between Chatsworth and Nordhoff streets, the limits could jump from 35 to 40 mph.

Engineers from the city's Department of Transportation recommended the changes after studying speeds along three miles of the road - a review required every seven years by California law to allow police to continue to enforce speeds with radar.

Never one to shy away from a bold statement, City Controller Laura Chick really let loose after the cameras stopped rolling Monday afternoon.

The controller had been railing against City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's attempts to block her from conducting a performance audit on his workers' compensation program. Delgadillo filed a civil complaint against Chick on Monday.

Normally, Chick said, she has a good working relationship with Delgadillo. But, cross her or attempt to stop her audits and she can be ferocious.

"I'm a tigress! I'm a lioness!" Chick told reporters.

When asked later if Delgadillo would like to compare himself to an animal of the wild, spokesman Nick Velasquez replied: "No, he would not."

After operating as a traditional Los Angeles Unified school for more than 50 years, Colfax Avenue Elementary will switch to a charter this fall after a frustrated staff voted to break with the district's rules. George Sanchez in the Daily News.

The school's staff voted nearly unanimously for the switch earlier this year, saying they wanted to have more freedom to choose curriculum and from the district's ability to switch school administrators at whim.

Still, teachers at a school that converts to charter risk losing years of accumulated district benefits, so the staff chose to become an "affiliated" charter - a hybrid approach that offers a degree of freedom but still lets teachers retain district benefits.

TIPOFFS: Chief Bratton wants to go to DNC, police commission says pay your own way.

Colleges across the Southland are expecting a surge in international students this year, part of a nationwide trend that many experts attribute to a weak dollar.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

At the University of Southern California, applications for international students grew by 10 percent this fall. Loyola Marymount saw a 33 percent spurt and University of California, Los Angeles, reports a 25 percent increase.

Nationwide, the government issued 10 percent more student visas this year, and colleges across the country are reporting increases in international student applications.

Despite heated criticism over the MTA's spending plan for a proposed sales-tax hike, county Supervisor Don Knabe said Thursday that he plans to reverse his opposition and approve putting the measure on the November ballot. Daily News.

The reversal comes just two days after Knabe and two other supervisors opposed the move, leaving the Metropolitan Transportation Authority facing a costly legal battle or having to pay millions of dollars to put the measure on a separate Nov. 4 ballot.

At the time, the county Registrar-Recorder's Office estimated that a separate ballot would cost taxpayers up to $3 million extra - but on Thursday Knabe said he learned that it would actually cost an extra $10.3 million.

The backpack Evangeline Arafiles slings across her shoulder each morning holds the tools of her trade: a lilac-color stethoscope, thermometer, oximeter, penlight and stopwatch. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

There isn't a Band-Aid in sight.

As a school nurse at Lowman Special Education Center, Arafiles oversees about 150 students, and there often is another registered nurse with her on site.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asked the City Council Thursday to reject two multimillion-dollar contracts until the LADWP can assure there was no involvement or influence by the utility's No. 2 executive, who was a consultant for the two firms.Kerry Cavanaugh inthe Daily News.

The mayor's request comes as Department of Water and Power General Manager H. David Nahai is already under scrutiny for his handling of issues involving Chief Operating Officer Raman Raj.

On Thursday, Nahai decided to cancel a $152,000 payout to boost Raj's pension after the controversial decision drew sharp criticism.

City employees will not be required to take unpaid leave to help balance the city budget under an agreement reached Thursday with a coalition of 22,000 workers.Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

In Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's budget, most workers outside public-safety agencies were required to take six days' unpaid leave to save $23million.

The Coalition of L.A. City Unions protested what it called short-term layoffs, and the group agreed to negotiate an alternative plan that still saves $23 million but doesn't require workers to lose so much pay.

A political power struggle over a plan to hike the county's sales tax to fund more transit projects boiled over into the City Council chambers Wednesday as council members urged county officials to reconsider a refusal to put the measure on the county's November ballot. Daily News.

The 10-2 vote came a day after the county Board of Supervisors made its surprise decision, citing inequities in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's plans to spend the $40 billion the measure would raise over three decades.

The MTA now faces a costly legal battle to try to get a judge to force the measure onto a consolidated general ballot in November or spend up to $3 million to print the measure on a separate ballot.

"It is going to go on the ballot anyway," Councilwoman Wendy Greuel said. "We should avoid the unnecessary expense to taxpayers of going to court or having the MTA pay for the election."

On top of his $247,000 annual salary, Los Angeles DWP board members have voted to pay $152,000 from the utility's power fund to boost the pension of Chief Operating Officer Raman Raj. Kery Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

The Board of Water and Power Commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday in closed session to buy service credit for Raj so that he will collect a higher monthly allowance when he retires.

The board vote came on the same day that City Council members chastised the DWP for failing to adequately disclose that Raj had worked as a consultant for several firms set to receive multimillion-dollar contracts. They pushed for better conflict-of-interest disclosure.

After months of delay, Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss on Wednesday announced plans for an October hearing on the LAPD's Special Order 40 and how Chief William Bratton has clarified it to officers.Daily News.

"I have reviewed this issue closely and have worked with Chief Bratton," Weiss said. "As a result, I am announcing we will be holding a special hearing in October to address issues related to Special Order 40."

Long a source of controversy, the order limits when officers can ask about immigration status. It was adopted in 1979 and is considered crucial in gaining the trust of immigrants who might otherwise be reluctant to report crimes.

Calling it a backroom deal by the MTA and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa that shortchanges regions including the San Fernando Valley, the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday rejected consolidating a 0.5 percent sales-tax increase for transportation on the November ballot. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted 9-2 last month to put the proposal on the ballot Nov. 4, and county supervisors' action won't change that. But now the MTA will have to spend up to $3 million to print the measure on a separate ballot.

The supervisors' virtual slap at the MTA proposal caught the transportation agency's officials off guard, and MTA Chief Executive Officer Roger Snoble vowed to ask a judge to force a consolidated ballot.

State funding to build new charter schools would increase sixfold in four years - to more than $100million - under a clause tucked into a larger bill that has won strong support from traditional charter-school opponents.George Sanchez in the Daily News.

The influx of cash would significantly boost the growing charter-school movement in California as proponents have aggressively lobbied for more funding and space amid growing demand for the schools.

The provision for charter funds was added to legislation to provide more funding for multitrack year-round schools. An earlier version of the bill was vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who pushed for the plan to instead include more charter funding.

As negotiations continue over how to balance California's budget, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa rebuked state lawmakers Tuesday and said cities will not accept any plans that cut vital services.Daily News.

"We will not stand for them balancing their budgets on the back of cities with cuts that could hurt police, fire and street services," Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference.

"It is simply unacceptable for them to not address their problems as all of us have had to do."

Linking what they called historic drops in city crime to Los Angeles' increased trash fee for more police, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LAPD Chief William Bratton and others released figures Tuesday showing that homicides are at their lowest rate since July 1970. Daily News.

At a City Hall news conference, Villaraigosa and Bratton defended their efforts as the City Council gave final approval to the third increase in the trash fee in two years - bringing it to $36 a month to provide full-cost recovery for home trash pickup.

"We owe our success to a comprehensive strategy to put more cops on the street and more resources in our neighborhoods," Villaraigosa said. "There is still violence and every murder goes into the depths of our souls, which is why we are very proud that crime is down to its lowest levels since 1970.

Los Angeles City Council members took DWP leaders to task Tuesday for failing to adequately disclose that a high-ranking executive at the utility had worked as a consultant for several firms set to receive multimillion-dollar contracts. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

Council members said the Department of Water and Power hasn't done enough to address potential conflicts of interest for Chief Operating Officer Raman Raj, who was hired earlier this year.

Raj had worked as a consultant for firms that now have contracts pending before the DWP.

After hearing complaints from San Fernando Valley residents about noise and other disturbances, Los Angeles will prepare a sweeping ordinance to regulate so-called sober-living homes. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

The Planning and Land Use Management Committee on Tuesday directed city planners to draft a comprehensive ordinance regulating licensed community care facilities, licensed alcohol- and drug-abuse treatment centers, and unlicensed residential group homes.

"I know there is a need in this society for a place for people to recover or regroup, to become healthy again," said Councilman Ed Reyes, chairman of the PLUM committee. "That being said, I would like to instruct the Planning Department to enact a citywide ordinance."

lt was never going to be an easy campaign to win two-thirds voter support for the MTA's half-cent sales tax on the November ballot.
It just got more difficult.
With the Board of Supervisors vote earlier today against easing it on the ballot, it exposed flaws in the overall plans on how to use the money for transit projects across the region.
The MTA is now left with going to court to force the matter as well as pay upwards of $10 million for the election and justify that to wary voters.
What the board action does _ particularly with statements by Supervisor Gloria Molina, complaining it was a "concocted scheme."
``Let's not talk about fairness in light of how this came about," said Molina, who abstained from placing the measure on the ballot. "I think it's hypocritical to talk about fairness when it was brought about so unfairly to the MTA board ."
There was never much public discussion of the measure on what it would fund and no real effort to have outreach to various community groups to build support.
Even among officials, the measure has not been popular. A number of state legislators representing the San Gabriel Valley have been gearing up their own efforts to oppose the measure.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger wants to raise the state sales tax by 1 percentage point for several years as part of a plan to close the state's gaping budget deficit, sources familiar with the negotiations said Monday.Mike Zapler in the Mercury News.

The proposal marks a sharp deviation from the Republican governor's longstanding opposition to higher taxes. Schwarzenegger, sources said, suggested boosting the sales tax - which currently ranges from 7.25 percent to 8.75 percent in California, depending on the jurisdiction - for a period of three years, and to use the proceeds to help create a larger rainy-day reserve. He also wants to impose stricter spending limits on the Legislature.

After three years, the sales tax would drop by a quarter percentage point from its current level - an idea designed to make the plan more palatable to Republicans. A tax increase of 1 cent for every dollar in sales would generate about $5 billion annually, about one-third the size of the state's shortfall.

Los Angeles County officials are investigating allegations that the county's animal-care director obstructed justice by instructing some employees to delete e-mails during an audit by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, county Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka said Monday. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Fujioka said he asked the County Counsel's Office to review the allegations after meeting recently with an animal-rights activist who blogs about alleged abuses of animals at county shelters.

Blog operator Ryan Olshan produced an e-mail dated Oct. 4, 2007, and purportedly written by Department of Animal Care & Control Director Marcia Mayeda, Fujioka said.

The e-mail instructs four employees to delete e-mails while the county was under investigation for not complying with euthanasia recordkeeping practices.

The city of Los Angeles must rebid $7 million in security contracts after a judge found that the city violated its own competitive-bidding laws.

National security giant Wackenhut Corp. sued the city last year, saying a prominent labor union used its ties to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to derail the company's bid for a multimillion-dollar security-guard contract. Kerry Cavanaugh in the Daily News.

The Mayor's Office and city staffers denied any undue influence by the Service Employees International Union.

Last month, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge decided that L.A. didn't follow its own contracting rules, and ordered the city to redo contracts for security guards at the Griffith Park Observatory, police dispatch and other city buildings.

The ruling didn't address the company's allegations of discrimination or bias.

The court d

A Los Angeles city panel took steps Monday to accept a $54million grant from the federal government for homeland security this coming year, even amid complaints that federal formulas have reduced the city's share and that the state also is benefiting from the region's efforts.Daily News.

City officials said the money would be used to complete work on a countywide communications system to ensure that law enforcement and fire departments can easily talk with one another during an emergency.

City Council members, however, complained that the grant represents a 2 percent cut from the previous year's amount as larger shares are going to cities such as Houston and San Francisco.

A year after restructuring Los Angeles County's top executive office in a bid to boost efficiency, the move has ignited political infighting, accusations of power grabs and micromanagement and concern by some that a new "super-bureaucracy" has emerged.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

For years, the Los Angeles County Chief Administrative Office rarely ruffled feathers among the 37 department heads and five elected Board of Supervisors members overseeing the nation's largest county government.

But since giving the Chief Executive Office more power, the county nest has been torn by what some political observers see as a power struggle between Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky - who initially proposed the creation of an elected county executive - and newly appointed Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka.

If your mom or dad pluck a few strands of hair from your head while you're sleeping, you could soon have some explaining to do. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Next month, a new home-based hair follicle drug-test kit goes on sale for $90 at Walgreens - the latest over-the-counter test for those with suspicious minds.

The makers of HairConfirm claim the test can detect 12 drugs, including methamphetamine, marijuana, cocaine and Vicodin. They also say it can tell parents - and even spouses, for that matter - how often culprits might have bee

TIPOFFS: City Controller Laura Chick spending summer to decide future; Villaraigosa on vacation, misses being in spotlight

There's a lot of conventional wisdom being talked up at the moment that if Dianne Feinstein decides to run for governor in the Golden State in 2010 that all potential rivals should see the handwriting on the wall and not bother to run. This has replaced the conventional wisdom of the week before that should our Attorney General, Jerry Brown, himself a two term occupant of the Governor's office(if not the governor's mansion), that he would surely win given his name identification and polling numbers. California Progress Report

The gubernatorial primary is two months shy of 2 years from now. All of this reminds me of just how wrong the conventional wisdom was in a much shorter time frame--less than a year ago when folks were told it was time to get on the Hillary Clinton bandwagon and that she was surely going to be the Democratic nominee. For a reminder of just how wrong that conventional wisdom was--not only about Barack Obama--but about many other prognostications, take a look at the New York Times compendium from March, "Soothsaying: A Sco

A plan to raise Los Angeles County's sales tax a half-percent is sparking heated debate over whether it shortchanges the San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys out of billions of dollars for much-needed transportation funds.Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Last month, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority agreed to put the measure on the Nov. 4 ballot in an effort to raise $30 billion to $40 billion over three decades for transportation projects across the traffic-choked Southland.

State legislators still need to pass a bill to give it the go-ahead, and two-thirds of voters would need to approve it, but already politicians representing the Valley and outlying suburbs contend not enough of the money has been designated for the area.

Under a warm summer-night sky, hundreds recently packed Hubert Humphrey Park in Pacoima, enjoying themselves less than two blocks from where a teenager was shot to death earlier this year in one of the San Fernando Valley's most notoriously violent communities. Rachel Uranga in the Daily News.

It was a small miracle, a triumph against violence, and the Rev. Jeff Carr - the city's first anti-gang czar - knew it. He basked in the success that evening, July 23.

Then came the call from a gang-intervention worker. An 8-year-old girl had been shot to death as she played behind iron gates in front of her South Los Angeles home.

Performing a barefoot striptease at airport security checkpoints may become a thing of the past as federal authorities prepare to test a pair of new machines that scan shoes for explosives at Los Angeles International Airport.Artr Marroquin in the Daily News.

The PassPort scanners, made by government contractor L3 Communications, will determine whether travelers are hiding bombs in their footwear.

Data collected from the summer tests at LAX will be used to evaluate whether the technology could be used across the country, according to Dwayne Baird, a spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration.

"The required removal of shoes at

The McCain committee has put out a new challenge to Sen. Barack Obama questioning if he has been ignoring Latin America. It is contained in a video with Spanish language inserts showing Obama speaking in Germany and ticking off different countries _ none in Latin America.
But, if they keep goading him, they might end up forcing Obama to travel South and have a repeat of his recent European trip where he drew more than 200,000 people to one event.

There was the West Hollywood councilman chastising the Los Angeles police chief for "outing" celebrity Lindsay Lohan. Kery Cvanaugh in thej Daily News.

There was the city councilwoman with a giant foam finger hailing a cab outside downtown's Disney Hall.

And, thanks to another councilman, it was officially Motley Crue Day in the city of Los Angeles.

And that was all before noon Thursday.

Gearing up for his re-election campaign, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has raised more than $1.6 million against a field of relatively unknown candidates in a race in which his toughest opponent might be the expectations he has built for himself. Daily News.

The mayor's fundraising report released Thursday dwarfs that of his opponents - with only attorney Walter Moore reporting any other significant fundraising through June 30 at $113,000.

Moore ran against Villaraigosa four years ago and came in sixth in a field of 12 candidates. Other announced candidates for the March 3 primary include Bruce Darian, Mervin Evans, David Hernandez and Mike Manley.

After long negotiations, last-minute changes and criticism from members of its own bond oversight committee, the Los Angeles Unified School District board unanimously decided Thursday to put a $7 billion bond measure on the November ballot. George Sanchez in the Daily News.

The bond would be the biggest in LAUSD history and would bring local charter schools an unprecedented source of wealth.

It is expected to cover 10 years of growth, although it only represents a dent in the some $60 billion in construction that district officials say will ultimately be needed over the long term.

- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday, trying to avoid a "full-blown" financial crisis in California, eliminated thousands of part-time and temporary positions and ordered that up to 200,000 state workers receive the federal minimum wage.AP in the Daily News.

His signing of the executive order had been expected since last week but is a stark illustration of the cash problem facing the nation's most populous state.

Lawmakers have yet to agree on a spending plan a month after the state's fiscal year began, leaving California without the ability to pay contractors, the higher education system and legislative employees.

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi became the first candidate to announce he is running for California governor in 2010 by blasting the incumbent Thursday over the state's budget stalemate and declaring that he would raise taxes if elected. Sacramento Bee.

The veteran Democratic politician announced his gubernatorial bid on the west steps of the Capitol, moments before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an order to cut thousands of temporary state jobs and freeze pay of 200,000 workers at $6.55 an hour to help the state pay its bills.

The timing of Garamendi's announcement was no coincidence as he used the state's budget standoff to tout his own credentials as a leader who can direct the California out of a fiscal morass.