December 2008 Archives

Calling California's declining fiscal health "a major crisis," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration on Wednesday released its latest plan to close a $41.6 billion budget deficit.
More News San Francisco Chronicle.

The proposal is unusual for two reasons: It covers the rest of the current fiscal year and the next one starting July 1, rather than just a single year, and it comes early.

California governors typically release their budget proposals for the coming fiscal year in early January.

Walking up the steps of the Coliseum at the end of USC's 38-3 win over Notre Dame last month, a longtime Trojans booster greeted a friend with a handshake and one word: Phil Collins in the Daily News.

"Bummer."

He said it with a hearty laugh, since USC was celebrating another win over the Fighting Irish. Yet the resignation in the sentiment was almost palpable. Earlier in the day, Oregon State had been walloped by Oregon, virtually assuring USC's presence in the Rose Bowl - for a fourth consecutive season.

Once again, the ho-ho-ho of the coming holiday season would be ho-hum for the Trojans.

Kindergarten classes could grow to nearly 40 children. Some 45 million meals for poor students might not be served. Art classes will likely be history. And hundreds of teachers could lose their jobs.George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

That's the bleak outlook for the Los Angeles Unified School District in 2009 as officials face $400 million in cuts next month and further reductions in state funding. The $400 million comes on top of a series of other cuts, taking the total to nearly $1 billion this school year.

While districts across the state have managed to avoid a large number of layoffs so far, LAUSD officials say job losses are almost inevitable because salaries and benefits account for more than 80 percent of the district's $12billion budget. And most educators expect bad news to continue coming from Sacramento well into the new year.

Los Angeles Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Violence against Los Angeles Police Department officials in 2008 involved the slaying of SWAT Officer Randal Simmons in a Winnetka shootout, 168 assaults with deadly weapons and 358 attacks from punching and shoving to kicking.

The decline of crime against Los Angeles police follows the 15 percent slide in crime rates across the city - where homicides in July plummeted to 1970s levels.

Merrill Lynch announced Monday that it had loaned $1 million to the Valley Economic Development Center that will be used to help small businesses throughout Southern California. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The Merrill Lynch credit facility comes about two weeks after the Los Angeles City Council approved a $15 million loan to the nonprofit VEDC, a small-business incubator based in Van Nuys.

The agency's loan fund now totals about $25 million, said its president, Roberto Barragan.

California has a New Year's resolution for motorists: Keep your hands on the wheel and off that text-messaging device.AP in the Daily News.

A bill making it an infraction to write, send or read a text message while driving is among dozens of California laws that take effect Thursday.

Other new statutes will set up a state certification system for massage therapists, impose new safety requirements for wave pools, provide additional safeguards against misleading sweepstakes pitches and ensure gender equality when married couples pick a last name.

Complaints against nursing homes in the San Fernando Valley rose 47 percent in the past year, outpacing a statewide trend and indicating an elderly population that experts said is more inclined to demand better care.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

With the nearly 60 Valley skilled nursing homes registered with the California Department of Public Health, there were 358 complaints filed this year, compared with 243 last year.

In 2004, there were 227 complaints, meaning the number has risen 58 percent in four years.

Parents have analyzed test scores, toured the campuses and narrowed down their options, and with the deadline just days away, all that's left is to file that application. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

All this for kids who aren't even done with high school.

While December is the heart of college application season, parents of students from preschool to high school are frantically searching for the perfect Los Angeles magnet school. Even those who are years away from grade school are caught up in the frenzy.

Tipoffs: Controller Laura Chick calls for open scrutiny of plans.

Goodbye and good riddance. In less than a week, we'll be free of the Ghost of 2008. Dennix McCarthy in the Daily News.

I'm hoping 2009 is going to be a heck of a lot better.

No deadly disasters or devastating fires. More good-paying jobs, and people keeping their homes. An economy in full recovery - for everyone, not just the lucky few.

Dreaming? Maybe. But I don't plan to start the new year feeling like it's a rerunof2008.

California businesses will catch something of a break in 2009.Gregory J; Wilcox in the Daily News.

Ten federal and state laws that take effect Jan. 1 won't be much of a financial burden on them, according to the California Chamber of Commerce.

But one, the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, is cause for concern, said Marc Burgat, the chamber's vice president of government relations. The bill's implementation plan was recently passed and some regulations go into effect next year.

In the months since the Los Angeles County Civil Grand Jury found that "scam artists" are "embedded" inside the county's in-home care program, an investigation has uncovered widespread fraud, including county employees involved in the schemes.Troy Anderson in the Daily News;

More than 700 instances of suspected fraud have been referred to the state Department of Health Care Services for investigation, and arrests of In-Home Supportive Services employees are pending, prosecutors said.

"I think the extent of the fraud is greater than anyone ever realized," said James Baker, assistant head deputy in the Welfare Fraud Division of the county District Attorney's Office.

It's official: This was a rotten holiday season for retailers. AP in the Daily News.

A weak economy and strong winter storms brought total retail sales down between 5.5 percent and 8 percent from a year ago, according to preliminary data from SpendingPulse.

Many economists have predicted this would be the worst holiday season in decades as home prices plunged, unemployment rose and nervous consumers cut costs. Compounding retailers' problems were unexpected winter storms that snowed-in would-be shoppers everywhere from Seattle to Las Vegas to Boston.

Say goodbye to the quarter-in-the-slot minimum and free nighttime parking at Los Angeles meters. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

As part of a city overhaul that's expected to generate an extra $18 million as City Hall grapples with a $400 million budget deficit, the Department of Transportation is rolling out new parking meters that take credit cards - and more of your money.

The mayor
This was a year in which Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa found himself tested on almost every skill he has learned in his years in public life: Daily News.

Devastation with the Metrolink crash and wildfires and having to provide comfort to those who have lost everything - families, homes, possessions

The Council

For Los Angeles City Council members, 2008 will go down as the year when their dreams of re-creating the city ran face to face into economic realities. Daily News.

Los Angeles faced high unemployment, reduced property values and the stark realization that years of continued growth had reached an end.

Courtesy of the Courage Campaign

The unprecedented grass-roots organization Barack Obama built in his presidential win appears to be evolving into a nationwide support group to help him "change America." Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Some of his volunteers from the San Fernando Valley and throughout the country are calling their new community service movement "Obama 2.0."

"The job is far from finished, and that's what we're now dedicated to doing," said Peter Rothenberg of Northridge, a co-chairman of Valley for Obama during the campaign.

With Republicans on the sidelines, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic leaders met Tuesday to fashion a midyear fix for California's swelling budget deficit.AP in the Daily News.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told reporters the talks had been positive. Less than a week ago, Schwarzenegger had threatened to veto the Democratic budget plan that is the basis for the current discussions.

"We're all very committed to making an $18 billion dent into this problem before the end of the year," said Steinberg, D-Sacramento. "That's our obligation."

Likely handing Los Angeles County judges a $46,436 pay cut, the California Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear the county's appeal to continue paying judges extra cash benefits.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

In October, an appellate court in San Diego found the county's practice of making extra payments on top of judges' state salaries of $178,789 was unconstitutional because only the Legislature can fund court operations.

The suit to block the payments was filed by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group in Washington, D.C.

California's chief financial officer warned Monday that the state will run out of money in about two months as hopes of a Christmas budget compromise melted into political finger-pointing by the end of the day.AP in the Daily News.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger began Monday on a cheery note, suggesting that negotiations with Democratic leaders could lead to a budget deal as early as this week to help close the $42 billion shortfall that is projected through June 2010.

"Yesterday we sat there for hours and we worked through it step by step and we made some great progress," the governor said during a morning news conference in Los Angeles. "So we feel like if we do that two more times like that, I think we can get there ... before Christmas Eve or Christmas Day."

While a judge's ruling earlier this month has left the proposed Las Lomas mini-city battered and bloodied, experts say it's the dismal economy that may deal the death blow. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The Las Lomas Land Co. is considering appealing a Superior Court judge's decision to throw out its lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles - which in March said it wouldn't consider the development - as it fights for the life of its unpopular project.

"The court's decision was disappointing and we are deciding on how we might still continue to move forward with the case. An appeal is likely," Carlyle W. Hall Jr., an attorney for Las Lomas, said in a written statement.

Responding to an initial report by a Metrolink panel on the September crash in Chatsworth that killed 25 people, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Monday urged the panel to consider several critical areas, including the adequacy of current anti-collision technology and the impact of staffing schedules on crew fatigue.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

In a letter to the Southern California Regional Rail Authority's Commuter Rail Safety Peer Review Panel, Feinstein raised questions about some of the panel's initial conclusions.

Of particular concern, Feinstein wrote, was the panel's silence on the appropriateness and effectiveness of Metro- link's proposal to deploy an automatic train-stop system on part of its commuter rails before deploying the more advanced positive-train-control system sometime between 2012 and 2015.

Reviving a debate over the role of city government workers in delivering services, City Controller Laura Chick released a report Monday seeking to lay out ground rules for studying public-private partnerships.Daily News.

Opening the idea of contracting out services on everything from golf course operations to trash collection and fleet management, Chick said her proposal is to have a public debate over the issue with detailed studies of costs and benefits.

"We are facing an economic meltdown and cities across the nation are hearing from consultants who are saying they can save us money if only we contract out the services," she said. "What I'm saying is that we need to take a look at it and determine if it is in the best interests of the city."

State Sen. George Runner, R-Santa Clarita, is pulling out all the stops in his campaign against proposals to reinstate a vehicle tax _ even starting a page on Facebook to generate support for his position.
On the "Stop the Car Tax Increase" causes page, Runner says, "...liberal Legislators who dominate the Capitol have targeted the taxpayer as the solution to the problem. Leading the list of loony ideas is the proposal to TRIPLE the California car tax.
"But California car owners will have none of this idea. They are overwhelmingly saying "no" to this inequitable proposal. As a matter of fact, 75 percent of Californians oppose the idea according to a recent poll conducted by USA Survey."
It was the car tax that lead to the groundswell of support for removing Gray Davis as governor and bringing in Arnold Schwarzwenegger. Schwarzenegger is now learning how hard it is to govern the state and balance its budget.

Ben Austin, who failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot, is taking his campaign for the Los Angeles Unified School District to the intnernet.
In an announcement on his website, www.benaustin2009.com, Austin said he he plans to start a new blog called "The Parent Revolution" where he will outline his proposals for changing the district.
"The revolution must begin and end with parents," Austin writes.
"Taking our schools back one school at a time. Brick-by-brick we will tear down the district bureaucracy that stands between our children and the freedom and opportunity they deserve. Together, we will seize this moment, tear down that wall, and build a better future for all the children of Los Angeles."
Further details will be forthcoming, he says.

A growing number of Americans are giving up their dogs and cats to animal shelters as the emotional bonds between people and pets are tested by economic ones.
AP in the Daily News.

Rising economic anxieties make it increasingly difficult for some pet owners to justify spending $1,000 a year or more on pet food, veterinary services and other costs.

The population growth at animal shelters in Connecticut, Nebraska, Texas, Utah and other states shows how the weak economy is also shrinking the pool of potential adopters. And it coincides with a dropoff in government funding and charitable donations.

Community clinics, already faced with shrinking state and private funding, expect patient loads to expand next year as more unemployed workers lose health insurance.Ssan Abram in the
Daily News.

A bottleneck for access to low-cost health care is inevitable, experts say, as more uninsured seek medical attention, and hospital emergency rooms become overloaded.

The prediction was made clear after a survey released last week by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that one-fifth of all Californians under age 65 were without health insurance for all or some of 2007.

Tipoffs: Mayor, City Council asks public to fill out survey of priorities.

At least 14 of Los Angeles County's 201 commissions are ineffective or dormant and should be eliminated, according to a new draft audit obtained by the Daily News.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The report by Pasadena-based Arroyo Associates Inc. found at least 10 county commissions haven't met for years and are no longer needed, yet they continue to exist on the county's books.

Another four have failed to achieve their goals or have become irrelevant. A handful of others perform overlapping functions with other commissions and should be consolidated.

t's a beautiful sight to see - 35 excited high-school leaders stampeding through a toy store at 7:30 a.m. with $27,242.52 to spend.Daily News.

Not on themselves. On more than 5,000 kids living below the poverty line in this city who are convinced Christmas is for somebody else.

They're wrong. Not this year, thanks to the students of John Francis Polytechnic High School in Sun Valley.

At 5:30 a.m., while most of the city is still asleep, incoming Los Angeles schools Superintendent Ramon "Ray" Cortines is already at work in his 11th-floor office. By 8 a.m., Cortines has likely concluded two meetings and is on his way to visit one of nearly 900 schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

It's a habit that has been in place since Cortines' first job as superintendent of the Pasadena Unified School District nearly 40 years ago. And it will not change despite his retirement-eligible age of 76.

The LAUSD governing board announced Tuesday that Cortines will take the helm of the nation's second-largest school district from retired Navy Adm. David Brewer III.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday ordered a state hiring freeze and payroll cuts as part of a belt-tightening move to conserve cash as California struggles to deal with a $42 billion budget deficit. AP in the Daily News.

The governor issued an executive order for state agencies to reduce payroll by 10 percent and for the state's 235,000 employees to take two days off a month without pay, starting Feb. 1. The payroll cuts potentially could lead to mass layoffs.

In an open letter to state workers, Schwarzenegger said California needed to take emergency steps that would require sacrifices from everyone.

Unemployment claims in the San Fernando Valley soared 77 percent in the third quarter to a five-year high as the national recession intensified, a research center said Friday. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

An average of 27,451 local residents filed for unemployment benefits each month from July through September, up from 15,484 a year earlier and the most since 2003, said a report from the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at California State University, Northridge.

"To have that go up by 77percent is dramatic," said center Director Daniel Blake.

"America's suburb" remains one of Los Angeles' most thriving areas, increasingly reflecting the diversity of Los Angeles but with higher incomes and a lower poverty rate, according to a new U.S. Census Bureau demographic snapshot of the San Fernando Valley. Tony Castto in the Daily News.

But the latest report also shows that Los Angeles overall was catching up to the Valley in terms of high school graduation levels.

According to the update, released by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, Valley residents spend an average of 28.7 minutes commuting to work - 5 percent longer than the average Californian and 12 percent longer than the average American.

State lawmakers passed an $18 billion package of budget cuts and fee increases Thursday but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger immediately vowed to veto it, even as Republicans prepared a lawsuit claiming the vote was unconstitutional. Daily News.

While the extended budget drama continued to play out in Sacramento, local officials in Los Angeles braced for a worst-case scenario that could result in the loss of billions of dollars for schools, welfare, health, gang prevention and transportation.

They know that whatever package state officials eventually approve to tackle the state's massive budget deficit, it will bring more pain to local programs that have already taken a series of almost monthly hits as the economy continues to spiral downward.

San Fernando Valley home sales soared by 78 percent in November from a year earlier as bargain-hunters snapped up foreclosed properties priced at levels last seen in mid-2003, a trade association said Thursday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The median price of a previously owned home fell by 33percent last month to $375,000, down $182,500 from a year earlier, the Van Nuys- based Southland Regional Association of Realtors reported. That's an 8.5 percent drop from the $410,000 median reported in October.

The median price of a Valley home has plunged by 43 percent from the record high of $655,000 in June 2007.

But there are some signs that the downturn in the local real-estate market is leveling off, said Jim Link, the association's chief executive officer.

More Angelenos are sipping eggnog and spinning dreidels at home this holiday season, continuing the downward spiral of travel this year for all five of the country's major travel getaway periods. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Even with today's gasoline prices at levels not seen since February 2004, the country's souring economy and rising unemployment are limiting family travel plans, marking the first drop in travel for this time of year since 2002.

With the state budget in crisis, Los Angeles County transportation projects are grinding to a halt after officials announced Wednesday they would withhold bond money for those efforts. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

The area had received commitments for $4 billion toward transportation projects over the next 10 years through Proposition 1B, a $19.9 billion bond passed in 2006.

The largest recipient of bond money was the $730 million for the northbound car-pool lane on the 405 Freeway between the 10 and 101 freeways. The state had also kicked in $90 million, the federal government approved $130 million, provided construction starts in 2009, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was on the verge of awarding a contract.

oger Snoble, chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority for seven years, announced his retirement Wednesday, saying the agency needs new blood as it moves into a new era of public transportation in Los Angeles County. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

His decision comes as the agency figures out how to spend money from Measure R, a voter-approved, 30-year, half-percent sales tax that will generate $30 billion to $40 billion for transportation projects across the county.

Snoble, 63, said there is a lot at stake with this measure and the agency needs someone to take the lead and remain in the job for several years.

Los Angeles County's population grew by less than 1 percent this year, to reach 10,347,437 residents, according to new state figures released today.Daily News.

Growth in the county's population has steadily slowed over the past decade, as the high cost of living has caused more residents to leave the county than move in from other areas within the United States and abroad. Last year, more than 100,000 people moved out of Los Angeles County, while only 82,000 moved in.

But the county's higher birthrate has keep population growth positive, with 154,000 births and 61,000 deaths in the past year.

The City Council approved $74 million in cuts and revenue increases Wednesday - a plan that for now spares Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's aggressive bid to hire more police officers in coming months. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The cuts still leave a budget gap of $17 million for the current year, which will force council members to make additional cuts soon.

In what is shaping up as a contentious debate, some council members said their next task may be to start slashing more deeply into police and fire services that make up nearly 70 percent of the city's overall spending.

The City Council unanimously approved a three- month moratorium on billboards Wednesday, buying time to come up with new regulations for what some residents say are becoming a blight on their communities.Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

Many of the complaints came from Angelenos irked by bright, flashing digital signs.

We're "confronted at every turn with sales pitches," said Dennis Hathaway, president of the Coalition to Ban Billboard Blight. "People do not want public spaces for trees, benches, fountains and other amenities ... displaced by light-and-sound shows serving the advertising industry and their clients."

With Los Angeles homicide rates at their lowest rate since the 1950s, the City Council on Wednesday adopted a package of measures designed to further limit sales of guns and ammunition.Daily News.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he will sign the proposals, calling them the first step in what he hopes will be a renewed nationwide push to crack down on gun and ammunition sales.

"This is not a symbolic gesture," Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference prior to the council's 14-0 vote. "This is a real effort to control guns and ammunition and I think this will be something that other cities and states will adopt and put pressure on the federal government to do something as well."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plans to nominate Christene Essel, a top executive at Paramount Pictures who has been active in a number of business affairs in the city.
Essel, who is a senior vice president at the company, has previously served on the Community Redevelopment Commission and is also president of the Central City Association and works withj a number of other groups, includ Film L.A., the Workforce Investment board and the California Entertainment and Tourism Advisory Committee.
If approved by the City Council, Essel will succeed Sylvia Patsaouras, who stepped down when her husband, Nick, announced plans to run for City Controller.

Los Angeles World Airports has improved its operations and management style since 1999, but a revolving door in leadership has stymied any kind of meaningful progress, according to a report released Tuesday. Art Marroquin in the Daily Breeze.

The audit found that six acting and permanent executive directors have come and gone over the past decade, hindering efforts to modernize Los Angeles International Airport and develop a clear plan to bolster flights at the agency's smaller airports.

Gina Marie Lindsey, who was appointed executive director of LAWA in June 2007, agreed with the finding and said she intends to stay on the job until the ongoing $5 billion modernization of LAX is completed.

Moving quickly and in unison to appoint a new public schools chief, the Los Angeles board of education Tuesday named Senior Deputy Superintendent Ramon "Ray" Cortines to head the nation's second-largest school district.George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The widely anticipated 7-0 decision came just a week after a divided board ousted Superintendent David Brewer III in a 5-2 vote that followed several days of contentious squabbling among board members.

Cortines will essentially get paid the same $250,000 salary he earns now, agreeing Tuesday to a three-year contract worth $750,000.

More than two years after Los Angeles County Coroner's Office employees revealed bodies at its headquarters were double- and triple-stacked and infested with maggots, the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday agreed to spend $32 million to renovate the facility. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The project is designed to alleviate overcrowding, improve working conditions, upgrade the facility and provide more space for autopsy, laboratory and forensic operations.

"We are going to gain a lot of new crypt space, which will reduce the overcrowded conditions," said Anna Pembedjian, justice deputy to Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. "We already have 275 crypt spaces, but this will nearly double it to 500. It will also improve the efficiency of their operations."

Los Angeles County officials will send 112 sheriff's deputies for security detail at the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama, saying the capital's original request for 500 deputies would leave the county vulnerable in a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The deputies will join nearly 4,000 officers from agencies across the nation to take part in the 56th presidential inauguration, Jan. 20. Some 2 million to 4million people are expected to descend on Washington, D.C., to attend the historic inauguration of America's first African-American president.

In a debate one member compared to the movie "Groundhog Day," the Los Angeles City Council took the first step Tuesday to putting a stake in the heart of a favorite subsidy - fee waivers for special events. Daily News.

In an 11-1 vote, the council voted to draft a measure designed to limit when the fees are waived.

At each of its three meetings a week, the council is asked to waive fees on everything from block parties and sidewalk art shows to major sports events and the Academy Awards.

Sean Burton has spent four years on the front lines of the planning wars in the city, toiling on the West Los Angeles Area Planning Commission.Daily News.

"This issues aren't as glamorous as they deal with downtown, but I can tell you the people who are affected are just as passionate about how a project affects their neighborhood," said Burton, who was recommended Tuesday by a City Council committee to serve on the city's Planning Commission, replacing the popular Jane Ellison Usher.

His appointment is set for a final vote Jan. 14.

Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles, announced Tuesday he will stay in the House of Representatives and not take a post as U.S. Trade Representative for President-elect Barack Obama.
Becerra, who is serving his eighth term in Congress, was recentlky named vice chair of the House Democratic Caucus and is a senior member of the Ways and Means Committee.
"I have invested sixteen rewarding years serving the people of Los Angeles and my country. I am grateful for that privilege and now see a rare opportunity to push across the goal line much of the unfinished business of America: investing in our infrastructure and our workers, universal healthcare, comprehensive immigration reform, and scrubbing a tax code that's out of shape and behind the times,' Becerra said in a statement.
"Working for and with incoming President Barack Obama would be an opportunity of a lifetime. I will get to experience that thrill... by working by his side in the People's House just down the street from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. The clock is ticking; I'm ready to go.:
Becerra is one of the few elected officials to turn down an offer to work in the Obama administration and, in doing so, leaves some disappointed politicians
Council President Eric Garcetti and state Sen. Gil Cedillo were both eying a run for the seat and, in Washington, several Democratic members had been lining up to seek the vice chair of the caucus.

Ramon C. Cortines, for the second time in his career, was named superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District,
Cortines, who once served as interim superintendent, was named to the post by the LAUSD school board on Tuesday to succeed Adm. David L. Brewer III, who agreed last week to a buyout of his contract.
Most recently, Cortines had been hired by Brewer to oversee most LAUSD operations. He had been working as an educational advisor to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

The Los Angeles City Council is scheduled to hold its last meeting of the year on Wednesday.
But, officiasl were warned they might have to come back on Friday or even next week to deal with city business.
Among the issues to be dealt with are a package of proposals to limit guns and ammunition, a detailed plan to cut spending by $30 million and an interim control ordinance on billboards any one of which could result in several hours of debate.
"If we have to come back on Friday to finish, then so be it," said Council President Eric Garcetti. "If it means coming back next week, then we'll do that."

The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, announced its endorsements for the March 3 election and, to no one's surprise, is backing Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and incumbent City Council members for re-election.
In addition, the County Federation said it will back Measure B, the Green Energy measure proposed by a coalition of city unions.
"The working men and women of the Los Angeles labor movement recognize the importance of working with the environmental community to support a measure that helps clean-up our air while at the same time creating good green jobs," said Maria Elena Durazo, secretary-treasurer of the federation. "It's these kinds of partnerships that will result in a cleaner environment and a new economic base with green-collar jobs Angelino's can raise their families on."
In addition to Villaraigosa, the labor group announced its support for Councilwoman Wendy Greuel for City Controller and Councilman Jack Weiss for City Attorney.
It also announced it is supporting the re-election of Council members Ed Reyes, Dennis Zine, Richard Alarcon, Jan Perry, Eric Garcetti and Janice Hahn. In the open 5th District seat, they said they will support former Assemblyman Paul Koretz.
***It alsoendorsed Councilman Bill Rosendahl for re-election
On the Los Angeles Unified School District, the group said it is supporting the re-election of board president Monica Garcia and the election of Steve Zimmer and Nury Martinez to the two open seats.
It also is backing the four incumbents on the Los Angeles Community College District board, Angela Reddock, Kelly Candaele, Nancy Pearlman and Miguel Santiago

One-fifth of all Californians under age 65 were without health insurance for all or some of 2007, according to a survey released Monday by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

While that was down slightly from 2005, health-care officials aren't celebrating the news because they fear the numbers will rise this year and next due to the weakening economy.

"It's already worse - we just don't have a way to measure it," said E. Richard Brown, the UCLA center's director and the brief's lead author. "With the current economic drop into the tank, we can definitely expect that this trend will be dramatically reversed."

Known as "the bank" by attorneys because of its excessive jury verdicts, Los Angeles County has the sixth-most- unjust civil-court system in the nation, according to an annual report to be released today. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Claiming that the county is one of the most desirable places in the nation to file lawsuits, the Washington, D.C.- based American Tort Reform Foundation listed it as one of seven "judicial hellholes" nationwide.

"Shakedown lawsuits brought against small businesses under the Americans with Disabilities Act and otherwise astonishingly excessive verdicts are again making Los Angeles one of the places to be for personal injury lawyers," said ATRF President Tiger Joyce. "And a troubling number of large asbestos awards and one recent string of lawsuits stemming from a practical joke at a firehouse put the county over the top this year."

Secretary of State Debra Bowen reports that California set a record at the Nov. 4 presidential election with more than 13.7 million voters casting ballots.
Bowen sai the previous state record was 12.6 million voters in November 2004.
This year's vote also represented 79.34 percent of the state's 17.3 million registered voters. the record is 88.4 percent in 1964 when Lyndon B. Johnson won election.
"This was an election for the history books," Bowen said. "Record numbers of Californians registered to vote and cast ballots in an exceptionally smooth election."
The counties with the highest turnout on a percentage basis were Sonoma at 93.4 percent, Marin at 90.8 per cent, and Amador at 88.6 percent. In Los Angeles County, the turnout was 78.4 percent.
Of the vote, more than 5.7 million voters, or 41.6 per cent, cast their ballots by mail.

The city of Los Angeles will finish 2008 in familiar company: Among the 10 most expensive places in the country to do business, according to a study released today. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Santa Monica is also on the list compiled by the 14th annual Kosmont-Rose Institute Cost of Doing Business Survey released by the Rose Institute of State & Local Government at Claremont McKenna College.

Los Angeles' placement on the list has remained steady, but at least it hasn't gotten any worse in the past year, according to Larry Kosmont, the survey's founder and president and chief executive officer of Kosmont Companies.

"Cities that charge the highest license fees such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Cincinnati are often those that have a history of uneven relations with the business community," Kosmont said.

Think you're safer using that hands-free cell phone instead of driving one-handed? Think again. Sue Doyle in the Daily News

Whether it's hands-free or hand-held, drivers yakking on phones are four times as likely to crash, according to a report released this month from a national traffic safety group.

In fact, dialing and talking on cell phones is the worst of all behind-the-wheel offenses - even ranking above shaving and applying mascara - because motorists spend more time overall doing it, according to the American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety.

"Too many Americans are driving with the false sense of security that hands-free devices are somehow safer, which could be a deadly mistake," said foundation President Peter Kissinger.

Tipoffs: Electoral College meets today.

The Los Angeles City Clerk's office released the official list of candidates who have qualified for the March 3 election;.
MAYOR
CARLOS ALVAREZ, Legal Assistant
GORDON TURNER, Deputy City Attorney
WALTER MOORE, Lawyer
PHIL JENNERJAHN, Entertainer
JAMES HARRIS, Union Meat Packer
DAVID R HERNANDEZ, Civic Community Leader
BRUCE DARIAN, General Contractor/Whistleblower
ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA, Mayor of Los Angeles
DAVID "ZUMA DOGG" SALTSBURG, Community Advocate/Economist
CRAIG X RUBIN, Pastor

CITY ATTORNEY
MICHAEL RICHARD AMERIAN, Deputy City Attorney
DAVID BERGER, Criminal Prosecutor
CARMEN "NUCH" TRUTANICH, Environmental Attorney
NOEL WEISS, Attorney/Policy Advocate
JACK WEISS, Attorney/City Councilmember

CONTROLLER
KATHLEEN "SUZY" EVANS, Business Owner
WENDY GREUEL, Los Angeles City Councilwoman
NICK PATSAOURAS, Electrical Engineer/Businessman

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 1

ED P. REYES, City Council Member
JESSE ROSAS, Businessman/Community Activist

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 3

DENNIS P. ZINE, Councilmember/Police Reserve
JEFF BORNSTEIN, Small Business Owner

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 5

ADEENA N. BLEICH, Director, Non-Profit Organization
PAUL KORETZ, Nonprofit Organization Director
RON GALPERIN, Neighborhood Advocate/Attorney
DAVID T. VAHEDI, Boardmember, Neighborhood Council
ROBERT SCHWARTZ, Attorney
ROBYN RITTER SIMON, Community Leader/Businesswoman

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 7

RICHARD ALARCÓN, City Councilmember

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 9

JAN C. PERRY, Los Angeles City Councilwoman

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 11

HARRY "CRAIG" WILSON, Hydrographer
BILL ROSENDAHL, Council Member

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 13
ERIC GARCETTI, Los Angeles City Councilmember
GARY SLOSSBERG, Public Interest Attorney

MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, DISTRICT NO. 15
JANICE HAHN, Los Angeles City Councilwoman
CHRIS SALABAJ, Educator

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT NO. 2

MÓNICA GARCÍA, Member of the Board of Education

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT NO. 4

STEVE ZIMMER, Teacher/Community Organizer
MIKE STRYER, Teacher

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT NO. 6

NURY MARTINEZ, Mayor/Environmental Educator
LOUIS PUGLIESE, Teacher Educator

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, SEAT NO. 2
STEVE FINLEY, Recreation Director
LADY CAGE-BARILE, Teacher/Activist/Businesswoman
ART SIMS, Businessperson/Engineer
TINA PARK, Teacher/Counselor/Auditor
ANGELA J. REDDOCK, Member of the Board of Trustees

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, SEAT NO. 4

ROY BURNS, Teacher
KELLY CANDAELE, Community College Trustee

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, SEAT NO. 6

GREG AKILI, Labor/Community Organizer
ROBERT NAKAHIRO, Attorney/Nonprofit Boardmember
LIVI BAKOZVICH, Director, Marketing Management
JOZEF THOMAS ESSAVI, Boardmember, Neighborhood Council
JANE ARDIGO SCOTT, Retired Professor/Activist
NANCY PEARLMAN, Community College Trustee

MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES, SEAT NO. 7

URT S. LOWRY, School Administrator/Businessowner
MIGUEL SANTIAGO, Member of the Board of Trustees

For further information or assistance, please call the City Clerk - Election Division at (213) 978-0444 or toll-free at (888) 873-1000. Candidate information is also available via the internet at: http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election/ under "Candidate Information."

In a sweeping plan to improve the safety of Metrolink's commuter trains, a rail safety panel on Friday recommended billions of dollars in upgrades and a management reorganization to create a "safety culture" at the agency.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The recommended upgrades ranged from automated braking systems to safety improvements at railroad crossings to converting more single-track lines to double tracks.

In addition to the panel's proposals, board members said they'd like to see annual medical and psychiatric evaluations of engineers and conductors and increased staffing to reduce fatigue.

The Metrolink board requested the report from the panel of rail safety experts after the Sept. 12 Chatsworth collision between a Metrolink commuter train and a Union Pacific freight train that killed 25 people and injured 135.

Political consultant Sue Burnside is denying any involvement in the failure of school board candidate Ben Austin in qualifying for the March 3 ballot.
Burnside sent out a note to her clients and others, saying she was not involved in the campaign. Here are excerpts"

The fact is Ben Austin is not my client. Burnside & Associates is not and has never been under contract to him or his Campaign. I have never met Mr. Austin.

I did not circulate or supervise Ben Austin's petition drive; I was on my honeymoon in South America.

An independent contractor misrepresented himself - without my knowledge or approval - as an employee of Burnside & Associates when he agreed to collect the signatures for Mr. Austin.

I am deeply pained that during my absence from the office this unfortunate situation occurred. I would like to express my sincere regret that his signature collection fell short of the requisite number and Mr. Austin did not qualify for the ballot.

It has taken me 20 years to build my firm and reputation; I have always taken great pride in the meticulous and strategic work I have done for our clients. Had I been in the office as usual, this simply would not have occurred."

Despite innovative efforts by the city, county and nonprofit agencies to help keep homeless families off the streets, officials at rescue missions and winter shelters in Los Angeles County said Thursday their facilities are being overwhelmed by homeless families.Troy
Anderson in the Daily News.

Andy Bales, president of the Union Rescue Mission in downtown Los Angeles, said the number of homeless families staying at the mission has tripled to 45 over this time last year. At his winter shelters in Burbank, West Los Angeles, Culver City and downtown, Bales saw more families in the first three days this year than the entire winter last year. The shelters are open Dec. 1 to March 15.

Driven by home foreclosures, evictions and rising unemployment, Bales said he's never seen as many homeless families seeking help before.

Facing plummeting tax revenues, Los Angeles County officials said Thursday they have identified $33 million in budget savings and are preparing to make the first in a series of drastic cuts.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The moves were announced even as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared the state budget is "heading toward financial Armageddon," with a deficit that has grown to $41.8 billion over the next 18 months. That means local cities and counties may have to brace for even sharper cuts than they have made in recent weeks.

In an 18-page report to the Board of Supervisors, county Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka recommended the supervisors vote Tuesday to transfer $18 million from a reserve fund to the Department of Mental Health to preserve funding for psychiatric care at hospitals and other facilities.

The independent and outspoken president of the Los Angeles Planning Commission, who urged homeowners to file lawsuits to challenge the city's bonus-density law, announced Thursday she was resigning.Daily News.

Jane Usher, who has been credited as being a voice for homeowners and in steering the department to new directions, announced her plans at the start of Thursday's scheduled meeting, saying it would take effect at the end of the day.

"I have loved every minute of this job," Usher said. "But it takes a lot of time. In looking at my bank account, it's time to get back to work."

From swimming pools to walking trails, Los Angeles residents are looking for more health and fitness activities out of their public parks, according to a new citywide study. Daily News.

A two-year survey by the city's Recreation and Parks Department also showed a need for more programs tailored to the individual needs of the city's different neighborhoods.

"This gives us an objective understanding of what the needs are in different parts of the city and what we can do better in long-term planning," said Parks Commission President Barry Sanders.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger sharpened his attack Wednesday against his fellow Republicans as he declared that California's budget shortfall has grown to $14.8 billion for the current fiscal year - several billion more than the shortfall legislators already have been unable to solve.AP in the Daily News.

"We are heading towards a financial Armageddon. We can already see it coming," Schwarzenegger said.

The governor said the state deficit will get even worse in the 2009-10 budget; an administration official said the gap could be as high as $40 billion over the next 18 months.

A clearly frustrated Schwarzenegger called on legislative leaders to meet this week, calling the state Legislature's failure to act so far a "shameful performance."

California's economy will be weighed down by the national recession until late 2009 and will begin to recover as construction rebounds and consumers start spending again, according to a UCLA Anderson Forecast released today. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The new quarterly forecast is the gloomiest in at least four years from Anderson economists, who said the pullback in spending by worried consumers - which they called "the spectacular panic of 2008" - triggered a nose dive in employment.

"The news from the economy is bad. The recession that we had previously hoped to avoid is now with us in full gale force," David Shulman, a senior economist at the Anderson forecast, said in his assessment for the nation.

Wasting little time in its search for a new public schools chief, the LAUSD board was scheduled to meet today to begin talks on replacing Superintendent David Brewer III, who was ousted this week midway through a four-year contract. Daily News.

While some commentators say the district should conduct a national search for Brewer's successor, union officials, former board members and charter school officials said Wednesday that the job should go to Senior Deputy Superintendent Ray Cortines.

Former board of education member and charter school champion Caprice Young said a national search could take too long for a district that needs urgent decisions now.

An angry and defiant City Controller Laura Chick, rebuffed by the City Council in her request for $100,000 to hire a private attorney, said Wednesday that she will not back down from her legal fight with City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo. Daily News.

While the council voted 11-1 to reject the funds, Chick said she has found a private attorney who has agreed to take the case anyway - and send the city a bill.

Arguing that the power of her office to conduct independent audits is at stake, Chick said noted election attorney Fred Woocher has agreed to represent her on a pro bono basis and to seek repayment from city government for his costs.

Democratic sources tell ABC News that President-elect Barack Obama will name Nancy Sutley, Los Angeles's deputy mayor for energy and environment, to chair his White House's Council on Environmental Quality.

The CEQ advises the President and Vice President on national and international environmental policy matters and works to ensure that federal agencies operate efficiently and in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa turned to Sutley to help him in his goal to transform L.A. into "the greenest big city in America," and Sutley has been on the case, retrofitting 500 of the city's oldest buildings to make them more energy efficient and imposing environmental standards on new large commercial buildings.

The Los Angeles Board of Education voted Tuesday to buy out the remainder of Superintendent David Brewer III's four-year contract, costing the cash-strapped school district more than $500,000 and continuing a tradition of burning through school chiefs long before they're due to leave. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The 5-2 vote ended a week of sometimes rancorous squabbling among board members and political leaders that included charges of racism, conspiracy and political posturing among the city's political elite, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Villaraigosa and others have denied any involvement in the effort spearheaded by board President Mónica García to oust Brewer, who is African-American.

With only a handful of problems involving celebrities, the Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday decided against any new regulations to control paparazzi at Los Angeles International Airport. Daily News.

"Our airport police are there to protect everyone, and I feel that everyone who comes to LAX should be treated as a celebrity," Councilwoman Janice Hahn said. "But if there's a problem for a particular celebrity, they should have their own security personnel to help them."

What's being touted as the world's first green aviation hangar was unveiled Tuesday at Bob Hope Airport, complete with solar panels, skylights, artificial grass, low-flush toilets and massive aerating fans.Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

Known as Hangar 25, the $17 million structure is designed to be a model of green construction and was built for what a traditional aircraft hangar would cost, said Andy Meyers, president of Shangri-La Construction.

"Going green has the answer for the ills of today's foundering economy," Meyers said, noting officials would not have permitted additional airport expansion if the building was not green.

Art Torres, the chair of the California Democratic Party, is building support to become the next vice-chairman of California's stem cell agency. Sacramento Bee.

Torres, a former Democratic lawmaker who has served as chairman of the state party since 1996, has been nominated for the post by state Treasurer Bill Lockyer, Lt. Gov. John Garamendi and State Controller John Chiang, all Democrats.

Lockyer argued Torres "represents the best our state has to offer" in his nomination letter.

Los Angeles City Council President Eric Garcetti was in Washington, D.C., today to meet with the transition team of President-elect Barack Obama to deal with programs operated by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Garcetti, who was a co-chair of Obama's campaign, is part of a team of local officials the campaign has reached out to for input on policies needed to revive the nation's economy.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa received some good news Monday in his re-election bid, with an exit poll of voters from the Nov. 4 election saying they approve of how he is doing his job and plan to vote for him next March.

Researchers from the Thomas and Dorothy Leavy Center at Loyola Marymount College University surveyed more than 2,200 voters and found 61 percent approved of the way Villaraigosa is doing his job.

Support for the mayor came from all areas of the city and across ethnic lines. His largest support came from Latino voters, at 73 percent. He also received 50 percent approval among African-Americans.

In the San Fernando Valley, the mayor had a 58 percent approval rating.

The survey also found that Villaraigosa was the choice of 81 percent of those questioned, with developer Rick Caruso, who has since decided against running, at 10 percent, attorney Walter Moore at 3 percent and the rest undecided.

The traditional image of the San Fernando Valley as "America's Suburb" remains alive and well in the cities of Burbank and San Fernando, which are still made up largely of family households with married partners and school-age children, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau findings. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

But area cities Glendale, Moorpark, Santa Clarita and Simi Valley may have taken over the American suburban moniker, with an even heavier proportion of U.S.-born married families with children.

Meanwhile, the heavily Latino city of San Fernando reported almost twice as many female-householder families with no husband present than the next-highest among those six communities - and a much greater fertility rate among women, especially those 15 to 19 years of old.

Embattled Los Angeles schools chief David Brewer III asked the board of education on Monday to buy out the last two years of his four-year contract, one week after a botched effort by the board to vote for his ouster. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Facing a struggle with a board that apparently has the votes to force him out, Brewer said he no longer wanted the increasingly nasty fight to go on. Just last week Brewer said he wanted to complete his contract. His request for a buyout now spares him the embarrassment of a board vote on his tenure.

"The current debate about my leadership and the performance of the district has been contentious," he said Monday, reading from a prepared statement. "It has been demoralizing and debilitating not only to our valued

City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo sued members of L.A.'s largest street gang Monday in an unprecedented move to seize money and personal property to pay for millions of dollars in damage he says the gang has caused in its community. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The city sued nine incarcerated leaders of the 18th Street gang, seeking an unspecified amount of money officials said will be based on national crime studies, including one that estimates that every homicide costs taxpayers about $1 million. The city seeks to take cash, cars or homes, sell them and fund anti-crime programs in the harmed community.

Delgadillo's office is working on other lawsuits as well; the city could sue any of the gangs under injunction, he said.

A City Council committee recommended a comprehensive set of proposals designed to toughen penalties and impose new restrictions on guns and ammunition Monday.Daily News.

Final action on the package is expected from the full council this week and is expected to be part of the debate in the upcoming race for city attorney.

"This is a package that covers everything from soup to nuts," said Councilman Jack Weiss, Public Safety Committee chairman, who developed the package with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and other council members.

City Contgroller Laura chic on Mnday called fo rhe City Council to discuss in public her requiset for $100,000 to hire an attorney to represnte dher offic ein a dispute with City Attonrey Rocky Degladillo.
The City Council';s Budget and Finance Committee on MOnday urged the council to take it up in closed session on Wednesday to consider Chick's requesti to have an attorney repesenti her in the dispute over her office's power to conducgt a perfomance audit of other elected officials
""The discussion on this matter of transparency, public accountability
and power is one which should be held in the open and not behind closed
doors," Chick said.
"I ask the City Council, when they hear this issue on Wednesday,
to do so in the full light of day and not in closed session. The public
deserves no less."
If the council refused to havea a public discussion, Chick said she will ask kto be involved in the private disucssion.
"I want to be represented in the meeting," Chick said.
If the council does decide to not pay for her atorney, she will ask the lawyer, Fred Woocher, to represwent her and then seek payment from the city.
The dispute between the two offics has been underway since May when Chick announced she wanted to look at the worker's compensation program and teh hiring of privage attorneys. City Attonrey Rocky Delgadillo objecgted, saying it was beyond Chick's power.
Chick said the issue is imprtant enough to go to the courtgs.
"This will not aqffect me," Chick said. "It will affect he next Congroller and their power to look at city government operations,' Chick said.
--30--

Last week, it was Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger make an appeal to Presdient-elect Barack Obam.
On Monday, it was Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, with other mayors, pitching for money.' And, on Tuesday, Assembly Speaker KIarne Bass heads to Washington to make her case.
Her trip comes a day after the state legislature met in an unprecedented session to deal with the state's budget problems and is part of a coordinate effort to make the case for California.
Bass is scheduled to meet with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and members of Obama's Congressional Transition team.
"While a federal stimulus, if approved, would provide important assistance to California's economy, Speaker Bass will make the case make that additional federal assistance is still required to help minimize the spending cuts and tax increases that run counter to the federal economic stimulus efforts," her office said in a statement.
Among her arguments is that California represents 13 percent of the nation's economy and 11 percetn of all jobs and pays $50 billion more in taxes than it gets back from the federal government.

Jerry Brown's former chief of staff is out shaking the money tree for his old boss. Sacramento Bee.

Of course, that's only of note because Brown's ex-chief of staff also happens to be an ex-governor: Gray Davis.

Davis sent a note last week inviting donors to a reception he is hosting at his home for Brown this Tuesday.

"Jerry has done a great job as California's attorney general," Davis wrote to invitees. "Please join us in supporting his re-election campaign."

Bicyclists protesting for more rights will try to take over the Griffith Parks "Festival of Lights" tonight with a ride through the area that is being opened to motor-vehicle traffic today.
The "festival of rights," as it is being called by organizers, calls for bicycle riders to meet at 6:30 p.m. and begin their ride after 7 p.m.
Organizers said participants should "adorn ourselves in the appropriate holiday decorations and ride in ritual protest, sharing holiday goodwill and cheer with the motorists who find themselves trapped in the awe-inspiring gridlock that is most certainly one of the best reasons to ask Santa for a new Bicycle.
"Bring a thermos, a flask, a friend or two and some bail money. After all, cyclists are forbidden from riding in the Griffith Park Light Festival! Holidays are for motorists!"

Despite skyrocketing unemployment rates this year, California will face a potential shortage of college-educated workers over the next two decades, researchers say in a study released today.Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The high cost of housing is driving job-seekers away from California, causing the gap to widen between educated workers and employers, according to the Public Policy Institute of California.

Researchers say 4 in 10 California workers will need a bachelor's degree to meet the state's projected economic demand by the year 2025.

But that likely won't happen, said economist Deborah Reed, author of the PPIC study. Reed looked at recent Census figures and labor statistics to make the study's conclusions.

To anyone who knows her, it is no surprise that Mónica García is in the middle of a political firestorm. Daily News.

As president of the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education, García has emerged as the force behind efforts to remove Superintendent David L. Brewer III in the middle of his four-year contract.

Supporters say García is a fierce advocate for the Latino community and the disenfranchised, who has never shied away from a fight. But critics say her political ambitions have made it difficult for her to act independently of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a longtime ally.

Tipoffs: The Monica-David spat; political musical chairs.

The office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa put out an advisory he will be in Washington. D.C., on Monday with sevral other mayors to renew the call for funding of public works projects.
Others expected to be there include Miami Mayor Danny Diaz, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley among otherws.
They will be testifying on the behalf of a Main Street Economic Recover plan that invests in local infrastructure, creates jobs and boosts the green economy in Los Angeles and in cities across the country.

As concerns mount about the safety of Metrolink trains, a Daily News analysis has found the commuter rail system has a far higher fatality rate than most larger systems throughout the country and was responsible for nearly two-thirds of the nation's passenger deaths over the past six years.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

While Metrolink is the nation's seventh-largest commuter rail system in terms of ridership, it has experienced the third-highest number of overall fatalities - including those onboard and on the ground - over the past decade.

And over the past six years, 39 out of 61 passenger fatalities across the nation involved Metrolink trains, according to an analysis of Federal Railroad Administration data.

The popular girl came out on top again. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

Barbie, the world's best-selling doll, can continue smiling - but with relief - as her greatest rival for the affections of shoppers might be vanquished for good.

A federal judge on Wednesday barred Van Nuys-based toymaker MGA Entertainment from selling its Bratz dolls after a four-year copyright-infringement battle with toy giant Mattel. The order, effective in February, could devastate the private company if it stands.

"MGA intends to immediately appeal the injunction Mattel was granted," Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment, said in a written statement.

City Controller Laura Chick took the city's engineers to task Thursday for underestimating the cost and improperly designing eight new animal shelters authorized by voters in 2000. Daily News.

The result, Chick said, was less space for animals and up to two-year delays in opening most of the shelters approved under Proposition F, a bond that allocated $154 million for shelters.

One, the Northeast Valley shelter, is still closed to the general public for adoptions, while another in South Los Angeles is not scheduled to open until 2012.

The children sensed a surprise coming, something big and bold, even life-changing. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The teachers felt the same. Why, they wondered, were they called to a morning assembly Thursday on the Colfax Charter Elementary School playground? Why were state and local school dignitaries there? And why was legendary football player Rosey Grier, who has since become a minister, pumping them up by asking them to repeat after him.

"Precious!" he said. "Valuable! Unique! One of a kind! A winner!"

Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank, was appointed Thursday as Assistant Majority Floor Leader to assist Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles.
"In his first term in office, Paul Krekorian quickly proved himself to be an especially effective legislator and a strong leader among the members of the Assembly," Bass said. "As the Assistant Majority Leader, he will play a key role in all major policy initiatives and in our resolution of the state's budget challenges, and he will continue to be a trusted and highly valued advisor to me."
Krekorian will work with Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, as the the Speaker's principal representatives on the Assembly Floor.
In his job, Krekoran will help lead all floor debates on behalf of Democrats and work to expeditre proceedings.
"Our state is facing enormous challenges, and how we respond to those challenges will affect the course of history," Krekorian said.
"I believe that our challenges create opportunity, and I am eager to assist the Speaker in shaping the Assembly's legislative agenda."

Assemblymember Paul Krekorian (D-Burbank) represents the 43rd Assembly District, including the cities of Burbank and Glendale, and the Los Angeles communities of Atwater Village, Los Feliz, North Hollywood, Silver Lake, Toluca Lake, Valley Glen, Valley Village and Van Nuys. For more information, please visit: http://www.assembly.ca.gov/krekorian.

The City Council temporarily halted construction of a new $42 million elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo on Wednesday amid concerns over funding and a debate over whether the animals should be kept in zoos at all. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The vote came after the nonprofit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association offered to pay an additional $14 million to finish the exhibit.

It surprised many who packed the council chambers expecting a final decision on the matter.

In an interview with the Daily News on Wednesday, embattled Los Angeles schools chief David Brewer III said he walked into a "cascade of crises" when he started two years ago, but would love to finish his four-year contract. Daily News.

The bungled attempt to oust Brewer on Tuesday, when board President Mónica García failed to get all seven board members together to vote on his future, stirred passions among Brewer's supporters, including some prominent African-American politicians.

Among other things, Brewer said he's become an expert at fixing the dysfunction in the school district and believes he's one of the nation's most effective superintendents.

In these hard economic times, bailing out criminals is getting almost as hard as bailing out Detroit automakers.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

As fewer suspects and their families can post bail, they're buying fewer bail bonds, which is causing many longtime bondsmen and -women to rethink the business.

Van Nuys-based bail bondsman Larry Goldberg said he's seen some competitors around the Van Nuys courthouse shut their doors in recent months.

For more than 40 years, Los Angeles has held on to 17,000 acres of land near Palmdale's airport, hoping it could help solve congestion problems at Los Angeles International Airport. Daily News.

And, for most of those years, other than sporadic studies, nothing has been done with the land. The latest effort to have a passenger airline operation at L.A./Palmdale Regional Airport will end this month when United Airlines pulls its single daily flight.

On Wednesday, Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl called for a review of the city's plans for the land.

"It's time to get real," Rosendahl said during a meeting of the City Council's Trade, Tourism and Commerce Committee. "Should we just get out of the phoniness that we are planning something out there? We should look at the value of the land we have there and what we could get if we sold it."

They are the stars of public access. They are dancers, singers and talk-show hosts, and they fear the loss of their ability to perform on the public airwaves.Daily News.

With Time Warner Cable planning to shut down 14 cable public-access studios in Los Angeles after Dec. 31, those who use the studios asked Wednesday for the City Council to try to save their programs.

Leslie Dutton, whose "Full Disclosure Network" show has aired on stations across the country, said it will hurt those who want to get their message heard.

Assemblyman Cameron Smyth,R- Santa Clarita, has been neamed as the next Republican Caucus Chair. Smyth replaces Bob Huff, who was elected to the State Senate.
The Republican Caucus Chair is the second-highest ranking Republican in the State Assembly and assists Minority Leader Mike Villines in advancing the Republican policy agenda, and achieving the Caucus' political goals. Additionally, the Caucus Chair regularly communicates with Republican leaders throughout California on key legislative issues and party matters.
First elected in 2006 to represent the 38th Assembly District, Smyth has served as vice-chair of the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. He also served as co-chair of the Republican E3 Task Force, developing legislation that balances environmental stewardship with the increasing demands for energy while promoting a robust business climate.
Prior to his election, he served as both mayor and councilman for the City of Santa Clarita. Smyth is a graduate of the University of California, Davis, where he was a two-sport athlete. He and his wife, Lena, have two children.

"I am honored to have been chosen by Republican Leader Villines to serve as the new Republican Caucus Chairman, and will work very hard to uphold the confidence that has been shown in me," said Smyth.
"I know that there are many difficult challenges facing our state and our party in the months ahead. I stand ready to lead alongside my Assembly Republican colleagues as we fight to stop costly tax increases, repair our broken budget system, put jobs first, and build a stronger California."

An attempt to oust Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent David Brewer III midway through his four-year contract hit a snag Tuesday when the board president, seeking his dismissal, failed to gather all seven members at a hastily planned session.George b. Sanchez in the Daily News.

News of the closed-door meeting surprised and irritated some board members, including one who charged that board outsiders, such as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former Mayor Richard Riordan, were behind plans to dismiss Brewer.

The superintendent's fate has been put on hold until next week, but it was unclear how the board might proceed. A simple majority could remove Brewer.

California's public school students relied on 28 million more free or reduced-price meals this school year compared with last, a sign that the economy has made the school cafeteria the de facto kitchen table for kids whose families are struggling. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The 770.6 million meals served during the 2007-08 school year was a record, and a 4.5 percent jump from the year before. The state commonly experiences a 1 percent increase per year, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell said Tuesday.

But the variety provided with these meals, including fruits and vegetables, leans on state money, a sore subject given the fiscal emergency declared by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday.

Three county supervisors beginning new terms this week said county government, facing state and federal budget cuts and the drying up of property-tax revenues, faces major challenges during the year ahead in trying to serve people who rely on it.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Supervisor Don Knabe, named chairman as he began his fourth term on the county Board of Supervisors, said the economic challenges facing the nation and state will hit county government hard as it deals with a health-care crisis and opens negotiations with unions seeking new contracts.

"The next wave of state cuts could have a pretty significant impact on county services," Knabe said.

Deferring action on a six-month moratorium on new billboards, a city panel Tuesday indicated it wants to look at other ways it can control the new brightly lit digital billboards being installed around the city. Daily News.

Frustrated at the time it is taking the city's agencies to come to an agreement on how to control the signs, the Planning and Land Use Management Committee said it will deal with the moratorium in coming weeks while it gets a report on how the city has responded to complaints.

Councilman Jack Weiss, who has opposed the signs, said he does not believe a moratorium is necessary when the city could take steps to adopt more rigorous requirements.

The Los Angeles school board is expected to hold a closed-door meeting today to discuss buying out the contract of Superintendent David L. Brewer, who has lost the confidence of key civic leaders.Daily News.

These civic leaders are quietly pressing for Brewer to leave his $300,000-a-year position as head of the nation's second-largest school system. The school board is expected to discuss buying out Brewer's contract in a private meeting today.

Despite a warm October with no rain, Los Angeles residents cut their water use by 7 percent and government customers reduced theirs by 11.4 percent under a new water conservation measure that took effect in late summer. Daily News.

"Water conservation is the cornerstone to our sustainable future," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who signed the tough water-conservation proposal in August.

Commuters suffering in gridlock can now sound off about their experiences and learn about transportation solutions recommended by the Rand Corp. through a new Web site launched Monday.Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

On www.fastla.org, commuters can speak out about signal timing, dedicated bus-only lanes, discount transit passes and other issues - traffic management ideas proposed in an October report by Rand.

The idea behind the Web site is to help offset the $9 billion lost annually in Los Angeles' economy because of traffic. The site also puts commuters in touch with transportation initiatives that don't require major infrastructure development and can be implemented in the next five years.

After final vote tallies, the half-percent sales tax to raise $30 billion to $40 billion for Los Angeles County transportation projects won by a narrow margin, while the city's gang tax barely missed the required two-thirds majority. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Needing approval from at least two-thirds of voters, the transportation tax, Measure R, took 67.93 percent of the total, according to the Los Angeles County registrar-recorder.

The office certified the election Friday, spokeswoman Marcia Ventura said.

Meanwhile, a city parcel tax to generate $30 million annually to pay for gang prevention and anti-violence intervention programs received 66.27 percent of votes; it failed by less than half a percentage point. The parcel tax, Measure A, drew 712,039 yes votes and 362,396 no votes.

In a sober assessment of the state of the city, the United Way of Los Angeles on Monday warned that economic problems threaten to stifle growth and reform, affecting everything from jobs and housing to health and education.Daily News.

"Los Angeles, 2008. State of City" is the fifth annual report prepared by the charity with the Edmund G. "Pat" Brown Institute of Public Affairs at California State University, Los Angeles, and it offers a grim perspective for local officials as they develop policies to deal with L.A.'s housing, jobs and education needs.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was back today, calling yet again on Republicans and Democrats to compromise on a plan to close the state's enormous budget shortfall. Mike Zapler in the Mercury News.

For the second time in as many months, the Republican governor announced a special emergency session of the Legislature to deal with California's deficit, which amounts to as much as $11.2 billion over the next seven months and $28.2 billion through mid-2010. A special budget session that he called last month ended in the same stalemate between the parties that has endured all year.

"Without immediate action, our state is headed for a fiscal disaster," Schwarzenegger said this afternoon during a news conference in his Los Angeles office.

Frustrated at the number of initiatives that make the ballot, the confusing wording and the complexity of some of the matters, a group of local Democrats have formed an "Initiative Task Force," seeking to make changes in the process.
Details are avaialable at the California Progress Report where local activist Linda Sutton outlines the details.

Click photo to enlarge
A Southwest Airlines flight takes off from Bob Hope Airport in... (John Lazar/Staff Photographer)

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RELATED:
# Environmental Impact Report for Van Nuys Airport

In this tale of two airports, it's the worst of times.

A raging noise battle between Burbank's national Bob Hope Airport and the general aviation Van Nuys Airport is getting, well, louder. And residents at both ends of the Valley are losing sleep over it. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

While the complex air battle has gone on for months and might ultimately have to be decided by federal aviation officials, it essentially boils down to this:

Burbank eventually wants to send 32 flights a day to Van Nuys to ease congestion. Van Nuys officials don't want any of Burbank's air traffic, but they want to divert their noisiest aircraft to Burbank and other airports.

Events marking World AIDS Day across Los Angeles County today will vary in focus, from celebrating advances in medicine that keep people alive longer to observing the global toll of a disease that is still a death sentence in too many countries. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Nearly 33 million people worldwide are living with HIV. The infection rate continues to climb in both developed and developing nations. In the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year revealed that health experts had underestimated the infection rate by 40 percent.

In 2006, the last year data were available, there were 1.1 million in the United States living with HIV, according to new estimates.

Health experts attribute the increase to medications that help people live longer, but also to complacency among young gay men, as well as deep denial and fear of stigma in communities where sexuality and drug use continue to be taboo subjects.

Tipoffs: More connections between President-elect Barack Obama and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa; more changes at UFLAC.