January 2009 Archives

Thousands of state workers who until now have been considered outside Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's furlough order are finding out that he wants to pull them in.Sacramento Bee.

A Schwarzenegger spokesman told The Bee this afternoon that the governor has sent the necessary documents to the State Controller's Office to furlough employees of state constitutional officers beginning Feb. 6.

"Upon review of the court rulings, it's clear that the governor has the authority," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "We have called the constitutional officers to inform them."

A group of VICA members traveled to Sacramento this week to advocate on behalf of the Valley business community, it reports.
They met with 12 legislators throughout the day, the group discussed the budget deficit, runaway film production, transportation funding and green technology.
VICA makes monthly advocacy trips to the State Capitol.

The 2005 Metrolink train crash that killed 11 people in Glendale could have been avoided if the engineer hadn't failed to apply the emergency brakes earlier, attorneys for some of the victims said Thursday.Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

"Engineers have testified that had he done what he should have, no derailment would have occurred," said attorney Jerome Ringler, adding that the engineer should have applied the brakes between 11 seconds and 22 seconds earlier than he did.

He and attorney Brian Panish are representing two victims' families in a lawsuit against Metrolink set for trial in June in which they claim the train agency is at fault for the crash because the engineer did not act quickly enough and the train was being pushed by the engine, rather than pulled.

Pledging that Los Angeles will see a 15 percent drop in gang crime this year, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William Bratton unveiled an ambitious new plan Thursday to fight gangs and steer potential members into safer activities. Daily News.

Coming on top of an 11 percent drop in gang crime since January 2007, the new goal would lead to 26 fewer murders and 1,000 fewer victims of crime over the next year, Bratton said.

One of the keys to the new effort, which involved a reorganization of the LAPD, is a rapid response.

The Courage Campaign is continuing its attack on Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state legislature for the failure to come to an agreement on the state budget and the threat to issue IOUs to taxpayers.

California stands to get as much as $32 billion from an economic stimulus package approved Wednesday by the House of Representatives.

The preliminary state share of the $819 billion federal package is welcome news for lawmakers struggling to fill a projected $42billion budget shortfall over the next year and a half. But Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger cautioned that California should not rely on the federal handout to fix its fiscal crisis.

"There's a lot of people at the Capitol running around saying, `Oh, the federal government and the Obama administration is bailing us out and is helping us,"' Schwarzenegger said Wednesday during an appearance before the Sacramento Press Club. "And I always make it clear that we will not use that money to bail us out because we have to bail ourselves out."

Tod "Malibu" Hamilton said he once raked in $100,000 a year as a Chrysler executive, built a custom home and parked two Harleys in the garage. Then came a long battle with booze, drugs, jail and homelessness.Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

"I was a winner then and a loser now," Hamilton said Wednesday after a restless night in an abandoned house. "I was a 29-year-old exec. Now I'm a 46-year-old panhandler living in the street. From Park Avenue to park bench. "I'm going to do my best to turn it around."

Hamilton is among the burgeoning number of homeless in the San Fernando Valley, where demand for homeless services has quadrupled since autumn at some San Fernando Valley agencies.

In what looks like the final chapter of the Battle of Billy, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday rejected entreaties from Hollywood stars and animal-rights groups and voted to resume the Los Angeles Zoo's controversial elephant project. Daily News.

With celebrities such as Cher, Bob Barker, Robert Culp, Tippi Hedren and Lily Tomlin urging them to shut down the $42 million, 3.6-acre project, council members voted 11-4 to move ahead with the long- planned Pachyderm Forest.

Pro
Dozens of Los Angeles environmental, economic, public health, and community leaders announce their support today of Measure B, Mayor Villaraigosa's solar plan. The measure on the March 3, 2009, ballot would create thousands of good paying jobs by requiring the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to produce clean, green solar power, train a new generation of green collar workers for careers in clean technology and to grant purchase preference to local solar manufacturers.
"Like President Obama and Mayor Villaraigosa, we believe LA must take this important first step now to create jobs and ensure future generations will not need to rely on dirty, expensive fossil fuels," said Bill Corcoran, Senior Regional Representative, Sierra Club. "We can't make this switch fast enough. Unemployment in LA is rising, particularly in construction, and our air pollution contributes to thousands of deaths and tons of greenhouse gases each year."
For more information on Measure B, visit www.GreenEnergyGoodJobsLA.com.

Con

The Valley Industry and Commerce Association (VICA) board voted today to oppose Measure B on the March 3 ballot and released its positions on other business-related initiatives that voters will soon consider.
"The board supports the exploration of clean energy technology, but questions the process that put Measure B on the ballot and the need for a ballot measure at all," said VICA Chairman Greg Lippe. "This legislation could have been enacted by the City Council."
Speaking particularly to the process that placed the measure on the March 3 ballot, VICA President Stuart Waldman added, "The board had concerns about the vetting of Measure B. The financial data will not be available until one month before it is taken to voters and the board did not feel that this allowed enough time for proper dialogue."

The Los Angeles City Clerk's office announced Wednesday that applications for absentee ballots are now available for the March 3 election.
Applications for the ballots must be filled out by all those who are not on the permanent mail-voter program.
The applications are on the back of sample ballots or can be obtained at the city website, http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election.
They shoudl be mailed to the City Clerk, Election Division, P.O. Box 54377, Los Agneles, 90054-0377.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Tarzana, will be holding a "telephone town hall" on Thursday to allow constituents to question him about federal issues, including the economy and foreign policy.
Sherman will be taking calls from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The telphone number is 1-0877-229-8493.

One recent afternoon at the Los Angeles Zoo's elephant exhibit, a grayish creature with wrinkles around the eyes stared over the wood-and-rope fence. He was slow afoot, kind of lumbering. He seemed, in some ways, ill-suited to the modern world. He faced an uncertain future. And, my, what big ears he had. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

But enough about me.

This is supposed to be about Billy the elephant.

What to do with Billy has become an emotional question in Los Angeles, a controversy that comes to a trunked and tusked head today when the City Council votes to resume or cancel construction of an expanded elephant enclosure at the zoo. "People are paying attention," L.A. Zoo Director John R. Lewis said, referring both to proponents of the zoo's $42 million project and to activists who say any zoo habitat is inhumane. "It's a passionate issue."

December capped a dismal year for the San Fernando Valley housing market as prices crumbled under a record wave of foreclosures to their lowest level in five years, a research center said Tuesday. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

A total of 7,725 Valley families lost their homes in 2008, a 158 percent jump over the previous year, as the credit crisis continued to take its toll.

The glut of homes on the market pushed down the median price in December to $375,000 - a whopping 43 percent under the record high of $660,000 reached just last May.

Already facing the potential loss of $1.4 billion in state funding, Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to set aside $2 million to build a $4.5million county television studio. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The 4-1 vote, opposed by Supervisor Gloria Molina, comes as the county faces increased demands for welfare, health and other services as people lose their homes and jobs in the economic crisis.

Warning of a "doomsday scenario" that will affect hundreds of thousands of people who rely on the government safety net for survival, Los Angeles County supervisors said Tuesday that the county faces the loss of $1.4 billion if state officials follow through with plans to defer payments to counties. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Faced with a budget impasse and a $42billion deficit next fiscal year, the state plans next week to begin deferring billions of dollars in health and welfare payments to counties for up to seven months. The action will require a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to pass.

"This is a doomsday scenario," Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said. "If they decide to defer payments to us for seven months, we're all dead.

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday declared the 4,218-acre Griffith Park a historic landmark in a move to protect the land from encroachment by developers. Daily News.

"This is a great day for the city," proclaimed Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes the park. "I want everyone to come out there and meet me there at 5 in the morning for a hike through the park."

The 13-0 vote came after several months of discussion on the request by Griffith Van Griffith to protect the land. It was Griffith's grandfather, Col. Griffith J. Griffith, who deeded the former Los Feliz Rancho to the city in 1896 for parkland.

Adeena Bleich, one of the six candidates in the March 3 election for the 5th City Council District seat, won the endorsement this week of the L.A. Jobs Political Action Committee, the political arm of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
The endorsement means the group will communicate with the chamber's 1,600 members and urge them to vote for her,.
"At this critical moment in our city's economy and quality of life, our PAC felt is was important to endorse a candidate at this stage in the campaign" said Gary Toebben, president and cheif executive officer of the chamber.
"While there is a large group of capable candidates in this race, Adeena Bleich is the best candidate to fight for good-paying jobs, fiscal responsibility at City Hall and smart solutions to traffic gridlock."
The decision to endorse Bleich was reached by the L.A. Jobs PAC Board of Trustees after interviewing all six candidates at a meeting earlier this month.
The PAC said Bleich was sharply focused on business issues and demonstrated the independence needed to make challenging decisions related to the fiscal health of the city.

A plan calling for the Los Angeles Unified School District to make short-term loans to charter schools was scrapped after the idea drew sharp criticism from officials who said the district is not a bank. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The proposal, which was to be discussed at today's board meeting, was pulled from the agenda late last week after board members alerted Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who said he didn't know how the plan got on the agenda.

"I want to help charters but we're not a bank," Cortines said.

Some 3,000 volunteers will tally them in streets, alleys, parks, under bridges and along the Los Angeles River beginning tonight in the nation's largest homeless count. Dana Bartholomew in the Daiily News.

With more than double the volunteers over its previous survey, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority is expected to comb more than 700 census tracts through Thursday night as part of a federally mandated tally taken every two years.

Despite a dip in the number of homeless from 2005 to 2007, volunteers are expected to discover more homeless residents this time because of the recession

As the American dream is "crumbling before our eyes," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday warned residents about a dramatic increase in families falling prey to scams based on foreclosure rescues and loan modifications. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The mayor - joined at a news conference on the steps of City Hall by officials from banks, nonprofits and legal-aid groups - outlined free resources that residents can use to prevent foreclosures and renegotiate home loans.

"It may sound like an obscure issue dealt with by banks and lenders, but all across the state and city, families are falling prey to scam artists and financial predators," Villaraigosa said.

As a Los Angeles City Council panel prepares to debate again the future of a $42 million Pachyderm Forest at the Los Angeles Zoo and its last elephant, Billy, two competing rallies were held Monday on what should be done with the project. Daily News.

Unions, zoo workers and other supporters brought out about 150 supporters, including Guns 'N Roses guitarist Slash, in support of the project, which was about one-third completed before work was halted to give officials time to make a final decision on the project.

Councilman Tom LaBonge, whose district includes the zoo and is the biggest supporter of the exhibit, said he hopes to see the matter finally resolved this week when his Arts, Parks, Health and Aging Committee reviews it today before it goes to the full City Council on Wednesday.

Supporters of the Pachyderm Forest at the Los Angeles Zoo have taken to the web to try to build support for the $42 million project.
Called Billy's Home, the website urges people to write to City Council members to register their support and sends them to the Los Angeles City home page to write to their council member.
It also has a link to a more detailed webpage at the Zoo where supporters such as Betty White and Slash talk about the exhibit and why they believe it is important.

his is what life was like the last time California government had at least as much money in its coffers as it was spending on a daily basis: Sacramento Bee.

• The leading presidential campaign contribution collector in the Sacramento metro area was GOP contender Mitt Romney.

• Baseball slugger Barry Bonds was 26 days from setting the all-time home run record.

• "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" had just set a one-day box office record for a film opening in midweek.

• The Dow Jones industrial average was at 13,861.

It was July 12, 2007, and since then California has been living on borrowed money.

What a difference four years makes.

In 2005, incumbent Mayor James Hahn was facing a field of 11 challengers - featuring several prominent names, including the man who would defeat him, then-City Councilman Antonio Villaraigosa.

There were more than two dozen forums and debates across the city before a variety of groups, including several that were televised live. Daiily News.

Tipoffs: Polls shows public favors exhibit: Sheriff Lee Baca doubles his chance to pick a winner.

As tens of thousands of Los Angeles County residents lost their homes to foreclosures in recent years, a Van Nuys businessman and his associate knocked on doors and mailed out fliers offering "Foreclosure Relief Services" to desperate homeowners.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The two men, ages 59 and 71, allegedly told homeowners they could stop foreclosure proceedings if they paid them a $500 monthly fee.

But prosecutors say instead they swindled victims out of the equity in their homes in North Hollywood, Glendale and other communities around Los Angeles.

They are down and out in the United States and homesick for Guatemala. And El Salvador. And Honduras. And Mexico. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

And they would go back without even an American penny in their pocket if only they had enough to get home.

They are the discouraged and disillusioned Central American and Mexican day laborers who, in a sign of how hard times are in this economy, find themselves so broke they can't send much, if any, money back to loved ones they haven't seen for years.

Three candidates running to succeed termed-out City Controller Laura Chick say they hope to build on the changes she implemented and the influence she won as a reformer at City Hall. Daily News.

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, political activist Nick Patsaouras and businesswoman Suzy Evans are vying to succeed Chick, who during her eight years as controller became known for tough audits detailing ineffective and inefficient operations in city government.

Los Angeles Unified teachers have been spared layoffs for now, but schools chief Ramon Cortines guaranteed Friday that massive cuts will hit the district next year. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Less than two weeks after the LAUSD board authorized Cortines to lay off up to 2,290 teachers, he said midyear personnel cuts would be too disruptive to classrooms.

But he said he will present a plan for budget cuts next school year, including layoffs, to the board by the end of February.

About $330 million in San Fernando Valley infrastructure projects could be eligible for a piece of President Barack Obama's $825 billion economic stimulus package, according to a city report. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

Los Angeles City Council members are set to consider a list of projects next week they hope could qualify for federal funds. The office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa released the report, which listed hundreds of projects, totaling billions of dollars, throughout the city.

Because terms and specifics for the stimulus money haven't been finalized, however, it remained unclear which of the items on the list would qualify for federal help. The Mayor's Office wrote that the money would almost certainly be administered through the state, which has a nearly $42 billion budget deficit.

Nearly 2,000 gang members were arrested in the Los Angeles area last year, a record number that federal officials say will have a major impact on crime-fighting efforts. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

More than 850 of the 1,970 gang members arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are being prosecuted on state or federal charges, officials said. The rest are in the U.S. illegally and are being deported to their native countries.

"No other federal agency has arrested 2,000 people in a calendar year," said Robert Schoch, special agent in charge of ICE's local investigative arm. "We have made a tremendous public-safety impact."

The LAPD's blog reports that Chief Bill Bratton is on the road, with a trip to Amman, Jordan, where he is to meet with King Abdullah.
"The chief...will meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II to discuss various topics, including law enforcement, security, counter-terrorism, criminal intelligence and community policing tactics and philosophies. Meetings have also been planned with the Jordanian National Police and General Intelligence Division to discuss international issues affecting both Jordan and Los Angeles.
" Deputy Chief and Commanding Officer Michael P. Downing of the Department's Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Intelligence Bureau will accompany Chief Bratton on the trip.
"A few days later, on Jan. 26, Chief Bratton will return to the U.S. for two important law enforcement executive conferences in Washington, D.C.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa clamped down on the use of city vehicles Thursday, hours after City Controller Laura Chick released a pair of scathing reports that showed city workers have been driving home city cars and fueling them on the taxpayers' dime with little oversight or accountability. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

"This is a double whammy," Chick said, after calling the city's lax regulations "a joke."

"We don't have the right insurance in place, and we don't have the right rules."

The reports prompted Villaraigosa to follow many of Chick's recommendations by Thursday afternoon: He put a freeze on issuing take-home cars and he suspended purchases of most new city vehicles.

The MTA board on Thursday approved plans to move ahead with a $225 million, four-mile extension of the Orange Line busway, linking the San Fernando Valley's commuter bus with the Chatsworth Metrolink station. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Construction should begin by June over a railroad right- of-way owned by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority along Canoga Avenue. Expected to be completed by 2013, it will include a $28 million bridge spanning 2,000 feet over Lassen Street and the railroad tracks and will end in the Metrolink parking lot.

The busway extension was one of four major transit projects given the green light to advance to their next phases Thursday by the board. The Orange Line and the other projects are funded by Measure R, the half-percent sales tax voters approved in November to cover mass-transit projects in the city.

City Attorney

Ramping up the March 3 campaign for city attorney, candidate Carmen Trutanich outlined a series of proposals to reform the office Thursday and argued that voters should reject the leading candidate, Councilman Jack Weiss, as a machine politician who lacks independent judgment. Daily News.

5th Council District
Six Los Angeles City Council candidates pledged in a forum Thursday to be agents of change at City Hall if they are elected March 3 - promising to bring new ideas for making the city friendlier for business, transportation and housing. Daily News.

Former Assemblyman Paul Koretz picked up the endorsemetn of the California Small Business Association in his bid for the 5th Council District seat on March 3.
"I am very grateful for the support of the California Small Business Association," Koretz said.

- The barricades are dismantled, the crowds have left and the man of the hour has put away his party suit and started to work. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

After all the fanfare, the 2009 inauguration of President Barack Obama is over.

But for so many who attended the momentous event, including the impressionable brood of fifth- and sixth-graders from Children's Community School in Van Nuys, the magnitude of the occasion was only beginning to settle in on Wednesday.

Van Nuys can't seem to get any respect. Daily News.

The heart of the San Fernando Valley's working-class community has slowly lost pieces of itself over the years, as entire neighborhoods seceded from the gritty image by renaming themselves in more bucolic terms, such as Valley Glen or Lake Balboa.

Now, another group of residents is launching an effort to break away from Van Nuys. The 1,855 homeowners in an area bounded by Sepulveda Boulevard and Hazeltine Avenue, and Burbank Boulevard and Oxnard Street, want to declare themselves part of the far tonier Sherman Oaks.

Laurette Healey, a Valley businesswoman who has run unsuccessfully for local offices in recent years, has collected signatures from about 800 residents and is bringing the proposal to the City Council for a final decision.

Crime in the Antelope Valley hit a seven-year low in 2008, officials announced Wednesday. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

The 12,385 crimes recorded in Lancaster and Palmdale represent a 10 percent drop from the previous year, and the lowest level since 2001, officials said at a news conference in Lancaster.

Plus, gang-related violent crimes dropped 33 percent in 2008 compared with the previous year.

As he returns from Washington, D.C., and the inauguration of President Obama, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is taking a page from Obama's successful internet campaign as he prepares for re-election on March 3.
In a letter goint out to supporters, Villaraigosa is trying to build up his Facebook page to build a community of supporters throughout the city.
"Yesterday I was proud to join with you and millions of other Americans in celebrating the inauguration of our 44th President, Barack Obama. It was a moving experience. I continue to be inspired by our President and truly believe that his election marks a turning point in the history of this great nation," Villaraigosa said in the letter.
. 'One of the most impressive things I have noticed about President Obama, his campaign, Transition Team, and now his Administration is their consistent and skillful use of the latest technology so that everyone can contribute to the way their campaign and this government is run.'
The mayor said his campaign will be rolling out a new campaign website to better communicate with supporters.

California�s own Democratic team of rivals has been quietly advancing their 2010 gubernatorial ambitions amid the inaugural celebrations. Fresno Bee.

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi said Wednesday he�s hired his new national fundraiser and lined up fresh support from serious contributors. Attorney General Jerry Brown, while not yet a declared candidate, has been getting around town. Big-city mayors have been out and about, in parties where politics remains the main intoxicant.

That was quite a sight at Tuesday's inauguration ceremonies. There were California's top Democratic gubernatorial contenders - Attorney General Jerry Brown, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - all sharing the same platform with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who just might upset all their applecarts. Matier and Ross in the San Francisco Chronicle.
We could have played musical chairs and decided the primary then and there,' said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter Christine Pelosi, who was sitting a few feet away.

Balls, shmalls. Anyone who is anyone in Washington was at Tuesday night's pre-ball dinner, thrown by the California billionaire Eli Broad at the Park Hyatt Hotel to honor members of the new Obama administration. New York Times.

Voters in Industry have approved selling up to $500
million in infrastructure bonds that includes money for a planned $800-million
NFL stadium, the Los Angeles Times reported today. Daily News wires.
The stadium, proposed last year by billionaire Ed Roski, is slated to be
built on 600 acres of city-owned land as part of a massive redevelopment
project that includes retail, office space, practice fields and banquet
facilities, the newspaper reported.
Industry residents approved selling bonds to build streets, add sewers
and other utility connections as well as added city improvements unrelated to
the stadium, Industry Mayor David Perez told The Times.
The preliminary vote count was 60 to 1. Industry last authorized an
infrastructure bond issue for $250 million in 1978, Perez told the newspaper.
That money, he explained, has funded projects in the city over the last 30
years.
The city, which has fewer than 800 residents and more than 2,500
business is strongly supporting the proposed stadium, the newspaper reported.

They rose before dawn Tuesday, fought freezing temperatures and stood squeezed together in a crowd of a million or more to watch Barack Obama become the nation's first African-American president. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

"It's just so amazing," said Olivia Wood, 11. "Obama's finally president. It seems almost unreal."

Olivia is one of 18 students from Children's Community School in Van Nuys visiting the capital this week to witness Obama's inauguration and complete a key element of their course work.

With celebrity fanfare, two elephant-size billboards will rise this morning, warning of danger to the L.A. Zoo's lone pachyderm. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

Paid for by animal-welfare activists, the billboards in Hollywood and North Hollywood will hang in the district of Councilman Tom LaBonge, chief booster for a stalled $42 million elephant exhibit.

A week before city officials consider a funding proposal that could renew construction of the imperiled Pachyderm Forest, its backers and attackers have upped the public-relations stakes.

Las Lomas Land Company's controversial proposed 5,500-home mini-city seemed all but dead last month. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

A Los Angeles Superior Court judge threw out a $100 million lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles that claimed it had illegally refused to consider the project. The company's president resigned the same day.

But after announcing an appeal last week, Las Lomas attorney Carlyle Hall said he expects the developer to have an edge in the state appellate court.

"We're very much in the game," he said.

The Los Angeles Police Department is reviewing 1,139 criminal cases to see if any additional mistakes were made by fingerprint analysts, whose errors might have led to the improper conviction of at least two people.Daily News.

Deputy Chief Charlie Beck, who heads a task force looking at the LAPD crime lab, said the group is focused on cases handled by six analysts whose mistakes led prosecutors last fall to re-examine several cases and drop charges against some suspects taken into custody on faulty evidence.

As many as 12 of those cases might be awaiting trial, although officials said most of the other cases were not in jeopardy due to plea agreements.

When Barack Obama is sworn in as the 44th president of the United States today, North Hollywood blues singer Latrice West will be thinking about family. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

The granddaughter of sharecroppers, West will take her place among hundreds of thousands of others on the two-mile-long National Mall. But she'll be surrounded by 17 of her relatives, ages 5 to 62, who also flew into Washington, D.C., from all corners of the country.

"There will be a lot of hugs and a lot of tears," said the grandmother, who spent her childhood in Texas, as she fought back tears.

"My grandmother saw slavery," West said. "I've seen lynchings and segregation. This is about our family's struggle."

A community breakfast celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Pacoima appeared to be at least as much about Barack Obama - with many participants wearing stylish Obama T-shirts and speakers earning ovations with mere mentions of the president-elect. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

Over sausage and eggs Monday, a mostly black crowd of more than 300 in the San Fernando Valley Boys & Girls Club basketball gym linked today with yesterday as religious leaders, singers and dramatists hailed Obama's inauguration this morning as a reward for King's sacrifice.

The wave of home foreclosures that swept over the Southern California real-estate market in 2008 pushed prices to five-year lows and sales to their lowest level in at least 20 years, an industry tracker said Monday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

MDA DataQuick reported that 201,894 new and previously owned houses and condominiums were sold last year, 2,248 fewer than the previous 20-year low of 204,142 sold in 2007. DataQuick's records date back to 1988.

Foreclosures - which are expected to reach record highs when the counting is complete later this month - are to blame for price declines of 30percent or more across the six-county Southern California region, DataQuick said.

Three Los Angeles County supervisors are in Washington, D.C., today to attend the presidential inauguration, and while there, they hope to press their case for a chunk of the $800 billion stimulus package proposed by President-elect Barack Obama. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Although the supervisors did not travel specifically to ask for money, the trip is expected to be the first in a series to lobby the new administration and Congress for some $2.7 billion.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said Monday in a telephone interview while touring Capitol Hill that the stimulus package should accomplish two things.

"One, it will infuse some economic activity into our economy that will increase jobs and address a frighteningly high rate of unemployment.

The annals of pro football are filled with incredible comebacks, which might be why billionaire Ed Roski thinks he can build a new $800 million stadium and lure a team to Los Angeles County after so many others have failed. AP in the Daily News.

A key part of his plan goes to the city of Industry's 84 registered voters Tuesday, when they cast ballots on a bond measure that would provide $150 million to pave the way for the stadium with infrastructure improvements.

City Manager Kevin Radecki expects approval by voters - mostly old-timers who own homes grandfathered into the city.

Making their way through the museums along the National Mall on Sunday morning wasn't easy for the fifth- and sixth-grade students from Children's Community School in Van Nuys. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Their jet-lagged bodies dragged after an exhausting red-eye flight Saturday night, and they had come directly from the airport to the center of Obamamania.

On paper it seemed fantastic to the 18 kids: a whirlwind cross-country trip and the opportunity to witness history as the nation's first African-American president is sworn in. But reality quickly set in as they faced fatigue, bitter cold and throngs of visitors.

Barack Obama spent just two years at Occidental College, but that time is considered a key period on the path that will lead to his inauguration as president Tuesday. Daily News.

Obama has credited the small liberal arts college in Eagle Rock with transforming him into a serious student and an activist headed for a career in public service.

``It was when I made a conscious decision: I want to grow up,'' Obama told Newsweek in a March 31 story that featured his freshman picture on the cover.

A car-buyers' protection bill that took effect in July is finally kicking into gear, allowing consumers to seek reimbursement if they are wronged in a vehicle trade-in involving an insolvent or unscrupulous dealer. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Authored by state Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Van Nuys, SB 729 provides a safety net if a dealer fails to pay off the credit or lease balance on a trade-in, leaving the car buyer in the lurch.

"The bill is a win, win, win," Padilla said when the bill was passed in October 2007. "It is good for consumers, it is good for business and it is good for California."

To six candidates for the Los Angeles City Council, the problem with City Hall is, well, City Hall. Daily News.

Candidates Adeena Bleich, Ron Galperin, Paul Koretz, Robyn Ritter Simon, Robert Schwartz and David Vahedi told a West Los Angeles forum on Sunday that the city deserves only passing or barely passing grades for its various failures. Among them are the continuing deficits in the city's $7.1billion budget, the way services are apportioned and the lack of public input in decisions.

The six are all seeking to replace Councilman Jack Weiss in the 5th Council District at the March 3 election. Weiss is giving up the seat to run for city attorney.

TIPOFFS: Police Chief Bill Bratton to show documentary on race relations in the city; Eli Broad throws a party.

A package of stories regarding the local views of the inauguration:
School Children's Eye View:
Fifth and sixth graders from Children's Community School in Van Nuys give their opinion. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Voters embrace change
Once Reagan Country and a bastion of political conservatism, the San Fernando Valley voted overwhelmingly for President-elect Barack Obama in landslide proportions that exceeded his mandate across America.

As Obama becomes the country's first African-American president Tuesday, Valley residents who voted for him still have the same hope and optimism as when they walked into the voting booth Nov. 4. Tony Castro in the

Obama reaches out
He isn't quite the King of All Media, but Barack Obama will enter the White House on Tuesday unusually well-poised to make effective use of the media by exploiting an admiring press and the high-tech communications savvy of his young staff.

Is all that good news? It's not only Obama's political opponents who see a downside to his emphasis on the so-called "new media." Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

Councilman Jack Weiss is the first of the City Attorney candidates to go on the air with two commercials to be broadcast on Tuesday during the inaugration of President Barack Obama.
"With less than seven weeks left before Election Day we know that it is imperative to start communicating with voters through television,' Weiss campaign consultant Ace Smit said.
"These commercials showcase that Jack Weiss has the experience to keep Los Angeles citizens safe by giving the voters a background of what Jack Weiss has done as a federal prosecutor and a Los Angeles City Councilmember."
The first commercial has Weiss talking about the need for a tough prosecutor to crack down on gangs, the second deals with his support for clearing up the backlog of DNA kits involving rape victims.
The spots can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKQhqIsHhO4 and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_nI3ZL8Whg

Smith continued with,

Californians dramatically lead the pack among big donors underwriting President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration, with a roster of Golden State movie stars, film executives and businesses - including Google - putting up $6.4 million so far toward next week's events, a new report shows. San Francisco Chronicle.

The Center for Responsive Politics in Washington on Thursday released an analysis that showed that Californians' donations far surpass checks from the next most-generous state of New York, whose residents have given $3.9 million to the events, which are expected to cost upward of $42 million.

From the Presidential Inaugural Committe:
The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced interactive features using Internet and text technology to bring neighborhoods from across the country together in celebration during the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball, airing live exclusively on ABC on Tuesday, January 20, 8:00-10:00 PM EST.

The PIC is asking Americans to host neighborhood ball events in their communities to watch and follow along with the show on ABC and providing party planning toolkits, available HERE. There will also be live blogging from the Convention Center, so people can follow along online and get behind the scenes scoop. Finally, neighborhood parties across America will be able to participate in the main event via both text message and online video. People will be able to text in photos of their events and send video - both of which could appear in the television program.

"The Neighborhood Inaugural Ball will be the premier event of the evening for those attending here in Washington, D.C. and participating from home," said PIC Executive Director Emmett S. Beliveau. "This is an opportunity to really make this America's inaugural celebration allowing people to join us by watching the ABC special, planning their own inaugural events in their neighborhoods and living rooms, and sending us videos and pictures that may be shown during the event. We really look forward to Americans from all across the country joining us on this very special evening."

Declaring that political dysfunction in Sacramento has crippled the Golden State, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Thursday that California faces insolvency within weeks unless lawmakers resolve a $42 billion budget deficit. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

In his sixth annual State of the State address, the Republican governor described the budget crisis as a "rock upon our chest" and vowed to focus only on the deficit until a solution is reached.

"For months, in the face of a crisis, we have been unable to reach agreement on the largest budget deficit in our history," Schwarzenegger said in a somber speech from the state Capitol.

Los Angeles County officials said Thursday that the city would have to refund nearly $5 million within 60 days if it abandons plans for a $42 million elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. Daily News.

The City Council is expected to decide today on Jan. 25 whether to proceed with construction of the 3.6-acre Pachyderm Forest, which would house Billy, the zoo's last remaining elephant.

Under pressure from animal-rights activists who want Billy sent to a sanctuary where he could roam freely, the city last month halted work on which it had already spent more than $12 million.

Los Angeles County officials said Thursday that the city would have to refund nearly $5 million within 60 days if it abandons plans for a $42 million elephant exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo. Daily News.

The City Council is expected to decide today whether to proceed with construction of the 3.6-acre Pachyderm Forest, which would house Billy, the zoo's last remaining elephant.

Under pressure from animal-rights activists who want Billy sent to a sanctuary where he could roam freely, the city last month halted work on which it had already spent more than $12 million.

The Los Angeles County Democratic Party released its endorsements for the March 3 elections and, to no one's surprise, they went heavily for incumbents who also happen to be Democrats.
"The Democratic Party's endorsed candidates and positions on ballot measures will improve our quality of life for those who live throughout Los Angeles," Chairman Eric Bauman said.
On Election Day, let's vote for change and bring hope and prosperity back to our local communities."

Los Angeles City Mayor

Antonio Villaraigosa*
In the Los Angeles city elections, the party supports Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Councilman Jack Weiss in his race for City Attorney and Councilwoman Wendy Greuel in her race for City Controller.
On the City Council, the group endorsed incumbents Ed Reyes, Richard Alarcon, Jan Perry, Bill Rosendahl, Eric Garcetti and Janice Hahn. It made no endorsement in the 3rd District, held by Republican Dennis Zine. In the open 5th District race, it is backing former Democratic Assemblyman Paul Koretz.
In the Community College District races, it is backing incumbents Angela Reddock and Kelly Candaele and in the open race, it is supporting Robert Nakahiro.
At the LAUSD, it is backing incumbent Monica Garcia and for the two open seats, Nurty Martinez and Steve Zimmer.
It also recommnded yes votes on four of five ballot measures, including Proposition B, the solar energy intitiative. It opposes Proposition E, which would allow the city to offer incentives to business to locate here.
Outside of Los Angeles, it is backing incumbent Mary Sue Maurer for the Calabasas City Council,

Five years ago, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told Californians in his first address to the Legislature that the state couldn't afford to tax its way out of a fiscal mess or borrow against the future. AP in the Daily News.

As the governor prepares to deliver his annual State of the State address today, California is again on the brink of financial calamity and Schwarzenegger's solution relies heavily on new taxes, fee increases and borrowing.

The grim news is not what the perennially optimistic governor envisioned when he swept into office with reform on his mind and a pledge to restore the California dream.

In a special election swirling with allegations involving mismanagement of city resources, San Fernando residents on Tuesday recalled City Council members Jose Hernandez and Julie Ruelas. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Voters elected medical professional Brenda Esqueda to replace Hernandez and small-business owner Ernesto Hernandez to replace Ruelas.

The recall was driven by a variety of issues, including residents' frustration with slow progress in downtown development and the long-delayed construction of a city aquatic center. A lawsuit in which a developer accused Hernandez of making anti-Semitic remarks before the city denied him a permit also generated concern.

Just two months after winning approval of a $7 billion bond measure, Los Angeles Unified School District officials are considering another proposal to fund local schools. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

For now, there are no details on how much a proposed parcel tax would cost homeowners or generate for the district.

But with LAUSD facing a $400 million shortfall this year and expecting chronic underfunding for years, district officials said they need more revenue to keep the quality of education from getting worse.

Los Angeles could be facing a 21 percent increase in the cost of its imported water as the continuing drought potentially leads to a tougher rationing plan that limits residents to outdoor watering only three days a week. Daily News

The staff of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power with 60 percent of its supplies, warned of dramatically higher costs at a recent meeting, drawing anger from its board representing agencies in six counties.

"We objected to it strenuously," DWP General Manager David Nahai said. "We believe insufficient studies have been conducted to see if costs can be reduced before deciding upon this level of water increase. We succeeded in getting management to agree to the study."

One day after the City Council decided to require Neighborhood Council leaders to fill out disclosure forms to create agenda items, a City Council member asked the Planning Department to work more closely with the groups.
Councilwoman Janice Hahn, in a proposal to the council. asked the Planning Department to create a task force to look at the issue.
Hahn said she hoped to see an agreement reached similar to the one with the Department of Water and Power to keep neighborhood councils in the loop of information.
Several other cities agencies are in the process of developing memorandum of understanding with the Neighborhood Councils.
."It really is all about land use in this city. And neighborhood
councils have a right to get information from city departments in a
timely manner so that their input can be taken into consideration,"
Hahn said.

# # #

The Los Angeles Unified School District board voted Tuesday to send layoff notices to nearly 2,300 probationary teachers, although the district superintendent said the move might not lead to actual layoffs.George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Beginning this week, about one-third of probationary teachers - with the district for two years or less - will receive the notices that they could be laid off within two weeks.

The board action is part of an ongoing effort to bridge a $400 million budget gap.

California might lead the way in indoor smoke-free air laws, but dozens of Southern California cities must do more to stomp out tobacco products smoked and sold in their towns, according to a new public health report. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

The American Lung Association of California on Tuesday graded 297 cities on their success at creating outdoor smoke-free environments and smoke-free housing and reducing sales of tobacco products. The report provided an overall grade for the average of those categories in its first State of Tobacco Control report.

Locally, Glendale topped the list with an A - the only A in Los Angeles County - followed by Calabasas with a B. Both cities have implemented tough anti-smoking laws in recent years.

Runaway production costs pushed the number of feature film shoots in metropolitan Los Angeles to a record low in 2008 as studios sought cheaper locations out of state, an industry tracker said Tuesday. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The report from FilmL.A., which coordinates location permits in the region, said feature filming for the year tumbled 15 percent from 2007. The fall was especially steep in the last half of the year - down an annual 38 percent in the third quarter and 47 percent in the fourth quarter.

There were 7,043 feature production days last year, the fewest since the nonprofit FilmL.A. began to keep records in 1993. Last year's total was 50 percent below the peak of 13,980 production days in 1996.

Taking the lead Tuesday in dealing with what officials fear will become a "toxic mess" in Sylmar, the Los Angeles City Council offered to pay for almost half the costs of cleaning up the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where 480 of the park's 600 homes were destroyed Nov. 15 in the Sayre Fire. Daily News.

The city offered to contribute $2.3 million toward a cleanup estimated to cost $4 million to $7 million. City officials believe that most, if not all of their expenses will be reimbursed by state and federal funds.

City Councilman Richard Alarc n, who represents the area, said he fears if the city does not act now, the nearly 500 families displaced by the massive wildfire may never have their homes replaced.

Police Chief William Bratton called Los Angeles "ground zero" for dealing with racial bias as the Los Angeles Police Commission asked Tuesday for more details on developing an early-warning system for problems with individual officers. Daily News.

Bratton rebutted claims that the department engages in racial profiling in stopping or arresting suspects. And he said he has worked to help ease racial tensions in the city.

"I can't undo 300 years of racial injustice in America in the scope of two terms here or, in my case, 40 years in law enforcement," Bratton said. "I do think we are in a transformative stage, and I think Los Angeles is ground zero because of its history."

Los Angeles Unified School District officials on Monday began issuing report cards on individual schools - a move designed to give parents a snapshot of school performance, increase accountability and even force changes in teaching and administrative staffing. George B.Sanchez in the Daily News.

Based on similar models in New York and Chicago, the report cards will track such measures as graduation, college preparatory courses, progress of English-language learners and faculty attendance.

The district will spend about $700,000 to mail some 614,000 report cards to parents this week. The cards can also be viewed online at the district's home page.

As Los Angeles County grapples with dramatic increases in people seeking government benefits, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed cutting county welfare benefits to 30,000 families with 72,000 children, county officials said Monday.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The proposal is part of a larger package of $319 million in county government cuts for the remainder of this fiscal year and 2009-10.

The governor sent the proposal to state lawmakers Friday.

"It's a very severe cut," Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka said.

California's lead environmental agency will reject federal Superfund status for the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site, saying it wants to hold the project to the state's higher standards for cleanup, officials said Monday. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The California Environmental Protection Agency called its stance a sign that it lacks confidence in the federal government's ability to oversee cleanup of the site in Chatsworth and Ventura County.

Cal-EPA head Linda Adams said her agency won't seek Superfund status because of ongoing talks with property owner Boeing Co., which has said it will help clean up the site to the highest standards.

California ranks high among states for strong roadway safety laws, but it needs tougher legislation for child passengers, teen motorists and repeat impaired drivers, according to a report released Monday. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

If California cranked up requirements with these laws, some of the state's 3,974 roadway deaths in 2007 - at a cost of $20.66 billion - could have been prevented, said Judith Lee Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety.

"It's incumbent on all of us to do whatever we can to save these lives," said Stone of the Washington, D.C.-based coalition. "The wait is killing us."

Before he know who his opponents would be, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa went on a fundraising binge last year, hauling in $2.3 million as reported last September.
Now, with billionaire developer Rick Caruson opting out of the race, the mayor has slowed his pace and reported Monday having raised another $400,000 _ to give him a total of $2.7 million against a crowded, but lightly funded field of challengers.
The mayor's campaign manager, Ace Smith, said Villaraigosa had more than 3,200 contributors.
"Antonio Villaraigosa has brought Los Angeles together again," Smith said. "That's why Angelenos from every community and every walk of life are supporting his candidacy.
"By bringing the city together for common goals Mayor Villaraigosa has laid a foundation that will bring real change and a better future for Los Angeles."

City Council President Eric Garcetti, who is up for re-election to a third term this March, is taking a stabl at talk radio, filling in as a guest host on The Politics of Culture on KCRW (89.9 FM) at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.
In the taped segment, Garcetti inteviews author Matt Miller for his book, "The Tyranny o Dead Ideas." MIller is also the "center" on the show, "Lert, Right and Center."
KCRW offcials called Garcetti "a natural," who should consider radio as a dacreer once his political life is over.
'

Bill Cohen heads down the Valley's main thoroughfare and sees more empty storefronts than ever. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

"It's not good," said Cohen, president of the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce. "All you've got to do is walk up and down Ventura Boulevard. You'll see more `For Lease' signs than I've ever seen in my lifetime."

A year into the recession, business leaders say 2009 could be especially tough for mom-and-pop businesses, with thousands of shops expected to shut their doors.

Tipoffs: Police Chief Bill Bratton reaching out to African-American leaders.

face of female political power in Washington is a familiar one. AP in the Daily News.

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the incoming head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, is the first woman to hold the job.

But Feinstein, a veteran of many skirmishes on Capitol Hill, didn't wait to take the gavel before asserting her prerogatives in the opening days of the 111th Congress.

For mom-and-pop storekeepers along Ventura Boulevard, the gulf between success and failure can be the 10 feet from shop to curb. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

That's 10 feet of sidewalk from the cafe to a hungry diner. Ten feet from the hairstylist to an unkempt mop. Ten feet from the tailor to a baggy suit.

But during a year-long recession when clients have put off spending, the stretch of concrete leading up to any business can seem as vast as a barren desert.

Backers of the drive to create a city in East Los Angeles were told Friday they have qualified for a full study of the viability of a new municipality.
The next steps are financial _ coming up with an initial $7,500 fee for the application and $100,000 for a consultant to do the work for the Local Agency Formation Commission.
Supporters say they hope to be able to move ahead within the next 40 days and are hoping to have the cityhood measure on the June 2010 ballot.

With the withdrawal of his last remaining major opponent, former Senate leader John Burton is the overwhelming favorite to become the next chairman of the California Democratic Party. Capitol Alert.

Burton, a San Francisco Democrat and long-time political fixture, entered the race late last year. His entrance has nudged out the two other main contenders, Alex Rooker, a vice-chair of the party who withdrew today, and Eric Bauman, who is the chair of the Los Angeles Democratic Party.

The Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley voted overwhelmingly on Monday night to endorse former Assemblyman Paul Koretz for the 5th District seat on the Los Angeles City Council.
"Paul Koretz has earned the respect of grassroots Democratic activists in the Valley because he has always stood up for what is right. It is a quality we need and value in our elected officials,' the organization said in a statement.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, on CNN's Situation Room, said the city is not looking for earmarks from the federal government.
"We are ready to put up our own money," Villaraigosa told host Wolf Blitzer, citing voter approval of a half-cent sales tax measure and several bond issues. "We are looking for an investment from the federal government to get people back on jobs."
The mayor was asked about the state budget difficulties and he said blame should be spread for all involved.
"The governor has not been able to get one Republican to get behind this effort and the state legislature hasn't take the steps to cut spending or raise revenue," Villaraigosa said. "The one thing they can't do is balance this on the back of the cities or the taxpayers."

Councilwoman Wendy Greuel announced she is formally kicking off her campaign for City Controller at noon Saturday, with a picnic at Van Nuys Sherman Oarks Park, 14201 Huston St
Sherman Oaks.
Greuel said she is asking people to bring donations of a non-perishable food item to contribute to the Valley Food Bank.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg wants to limit the amount of legislation members can introduce in 2009 in an effort to keep lawmakers focused on the state's budget. Capitol Alert.

Steinberg, in an interview with The Bee Capitol Bureau, said Wednesday that the plan is not final, though he has discussed the idea with members of his caucus.

The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City announced this week it is endorsding Councilman Jack Weiss for election as City Attorney on March 3.
UFLAC President Patrick McOsker cited Weiss' experience on the City Council and his support for public safety.
"The United Firefighters of Los Angeles City has a proud tradition of helping elect those who demonstrate a true understanding of the issues facing firefighters and the jobs we do," UFLAC said in a statement.
"Candidates who we endorse become trusted friends who we rely on to advocate for us, our issues, and the issues of all working people."
Weiss, who is a close ally of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, has also received the backing of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO.
He is being challenged by four opponents.

Nick Patsaouras, candidate for City Controller, picked up a key employee group endorsement today, when the 10,000 member Engineers and Architects Association voted to back his election in the March 3 contest.
The EAA broke with other unions four years ago when it endorsed Antonio Villaraigosa for mayor, but have been at odds with him almost from the day he took office in 2005, in an ongoing contract dispute that lead to a work slowdown by the union.
In choosing to back Patsaouras, the union snubbed Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who has close ties to the mayor.
In a letter to Patsaouras, EAA General Manager Bob Aquino said "we are with you in this effort."

Home Depot has given up its fight to build a store in the Sunland-Tujunga area, delighting community activists who waged a four-year, grass-roots battle against the home-improvement giant.Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

"Oh, my gosh," said an enthusiastic Joe Barrett, who headed the campaign against the big-box store, which residents feared would add too much traffic and pollution to their neighborhood. "What a day, what a day."

Home Depot quietly withdrew its lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles late last month and took down a Web site meant to rally community support. The company blamed the project's demise on a tough legal struggle with the city and the sour economy.

Once regarded as a national leader in higher education, California is quickly falling in the ranks as fewer young people graduate from high school and enroll in college, according to a report released Wednesday by the California Faculty Association. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

In its investment in public higher education and college degree attainment, the state ranks has plunged.

California ranked 49th in the country in terms for its number of adults with at least a high school diploma, 46th for the number of 19-year-olds enrolled in college and 31st for college enrollment among students in low-income families.

Using the 20th anniversary of the acquisition of Billy the elephant for the Los Angeles Zoo, Councilman Tony Cardenas on Wednesday revived the debate over whether the city should exhibit elephants. Daily News.

Joined by actress Mariana Tosca, who serves as an animal-welfare adviser to Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and Catherine Doyle of In Defense of Animals, Cardenas renewed his call for the city to abandon its plans for a $42 million pachyderm forest.

Voters in the city's March 3 election will be asked to decide on five local proposals, ranging from a controversial solar energy plan to an effort to bring new business to Los Angeles. Daily News.

Measure A would create the post of independent assessor in the Los Angeles Fire Department to oversee reforms aimed at ending sexual and racial harassment that has resulted in high-profile, costly lawsuits.

The proposal came about after a series of audits by Controller Laura Chick and internal review by the department found the need to push through reforms.

Democratic leaders sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger an $18 billion deficit-cutting package on Tuesday, a plan he quickly vetoed as anti-tax groups filed a lawsuit to stop it.AP in the Daily News.

The activity came amid the Legislature's third special session since the November election to deal with California's worsening budget deficit, projected at $42 billion over the next 18 months.

With Schwarzenegger's veto, time is running out for lawmakers to find a midyear fix. The state controller has warned that California will be so short of cash it will have to start issuing IOUs in February to vendors and taxpayers expecting refunds.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday called for a pilot plan to reduce gangs and violence in four areas. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The four are the Pacoima, Monrovia- Duarte, Florence-Firestone and Harbor- Gateway areas. If the program is successful, the supervisors said they may ultimately expand it countywide.

The supervisors said the county chief executive officer, Bill Fujioka, will form the Los Angeles County Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Coordination Committee to develop a detailed plan over the next 180 days to reduce gang membership and violence in the four pilot areas.

Los Angeles City Council members Tuesday questioned the city's recent decision to raise rates at parking meters, saying it may cost the city tax revenue.Daily News.

Council members suggested that the increase - in some cases going from $1 an hour to $4 an hour - may be causing customers to stay away from Los Angeles businesses in some areas, decreasing the city's take from sales tax.

"We have a whole area of Canoga Park where businesses are concerned about the impact," said Councilman Dennis Zine, who complained the city should have done more outreach to the business community before imposing the new rates.

The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles has bought a $3.5 million office building in Van Nuys, a few blocks from the space it is currently renting. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The move will make it easier and less costly for the state-chartered agency to provide Section 8 housing assistance for low-income renters in the San Fernando Valley, officials said.

With the 111th Congress being sworn in on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein wasted no time in introducing series of measures including the closure of Guatanamo and a measure to help homeowners facing foreclosure.
"Today marks the official start to the historic 111th Congress. I am introducing a series of first-day bills that I believe will help bring about meaningful, positive change for our country,: Feinstein said.
The measure to close Guatanamo was co-authored with Sen. John Rockefeller, D-Ky, and Ron Wyden, D-Or.
Other measures include:
· Authorizing at least $25 billion from the government's financial rescue program, the Troubled Assets Recovery Program (or TARP), to provide streamlined loan modifications to keep struggling families from losing their homes (Senate companion to a bill introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles.
· Providing $10 billion in federal rescue funds (TARP) to ensure the solvency of local cities and counties that have lost investments from failed financial institutions like Lehman Brothers and Washington Mutual;
· Demanding accountability from financial institutions receiving federal rescue funds (TARP) funds. (Cosponsored with several other senators).
· Banning the sale of Inaugural tickets;
· Cracking down on criminal street gangs through a balanced approach of enforcement, prevention and intervention (Co0sponsored with several other senators).
· Implementing a settlement agreement to restore the San Joaquin River, with Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-CA.
· Preventing identity theft and protecting the privacy of sensitive personal information; and
· Establishing a dedicated funding source to clean up hazardous abandoned gold and silver mines on public lands.

After a several years relationship, City Council President Eric Garcetti and Amy Elaine Wakeland were married over the weekend, his office announced.
The couple, who live in the Silver Lake area, held a small ceremony that was attended by their parents and a few close friends. No further details were released.

Eyeing an ever-widening budget gap, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said Monday that they could soon send nearly 3,000 nonpermanent teachers notices warning of imminent layoffs. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

While it has become standard policy in recent years for the district to send layoff notices as a precautionary measure, teachers union officials and administrators fear this is the first time since the widespread layoffs of the mid-1990s that teachers could actually lose their jobs.

"This is not a favored option, but under the current fiscal crisis, we have to consider it," said Vivian Ekchian, the LAUSD's interim chief human-resources officer.

Colorful balloons hung Monday from the showroom ceiling at North Hollywood Toyota, but there was no party going on. Kevin Modesti and Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The balloons were attached to signs advertising the "last chance" for year-end deals as the dealer struggled to ride out the dramatic decline in U.S. auto sales.

"It's a difficult time," said general sales manager Chris Darby, who added that the dealership's 40 percent drop in December sales and 40 percent cutback in the sales staff in the past six months make this the "slowest" period he's seen in nearly a quarter-century with the Japanese company.

A combination of deficient policies and a lack of investment in improving the health and education of children is undermining the economic prosperity of California, according to a report set to be released today by Children Now. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The annual report card found that policies and funding priorities that shortchange children are not only increasing the state's health-care costs and decreasing economic output but jeopardizing its future.

"Children in this state are not faring well, and in fact the condition of children is going in the wrong direction," said Ted Lempert, president of the Oakland-based nonpartisan research and advocacy organization.

Even with a sluggish economy and the prospects of a more than $400 million shortfall, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vowed Monday to oppose any reductions in the Los Angeles Police Department budget this year after seven straight years of reduced crime rates. Daily News.

Celebrating a drop in homicides to the lowest levels in 30 years along with reductions in all serious and gang crimes in the city, Villaraigosa joined with LAPD Chief William Bratton and other law enforcement officials to assert that he will continue plans to expand the LAPD.

"We will not be deterred from growing the LAPD," the mayor said. "I will not back down from the idea that we need to continue to put police officers on the street to make Los Angeles safe."

Applications for Los Angeles police officer jobs surged last month as LAPD recruiters began advertising crime-fighting as one of the few recession-proof careers. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

The spike in interest, from 401 people taking the applicants' written test in December 2007 to 870 a year later, followed months of sharp but less eye-popping increases, recruiters said.

Recruiters' message to job seekers: Although being a police officer might not be completely safe, it is relatively secure.

"During these times of economic uncertainty," read a full-page advertisement that appeared in December in the Daily News and on job-hunting Web sites, "the (LAPD) is always looking for a few good women and men to protect and to serve our communities. Never have to face a layoff again! Start your new career today!"

It sounds like any classified ad for a house or a car.

"Must sell. Half price."

Only what's offered is a little more eternal.

"Prime burial plot."

In an economy on virtual life support, people have been hawking jewelry and furniture to make ends meet. It was only a matter of time before they started selling off burial plots - something they won't use until the hereafter but whose cash value could keep them afloat in the here and now. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

After years of planning and preparation, a crowd of more than 1,200 celebrated Saturday at the 21st station opened by the Los Angeles Police Department in its 140-year history. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

From an explosive SWAT pursuit demonstration to an American Indian blessing, the dedication ceremony for the Topanga Area Community Police Station was marked by performances and speeches from local politicians.

A "fashionably late" Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who said he was delayed because he was making breakfast for his kids, stressed the importance of the new station's opening.

Los Angeles in 2008 saw the lowest number of homicides in four decades, but the San Fernando Valley saw a slight uptick in killings - largely because of a recent surge in shootings and a pair of bizarre multiple slayings.Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

Citywide, there were 380 killings last year - the lowest since 1969, which had 377, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The Valley, however, had 69 slayings in 2008, up from 64 the previous year.

The drop for Los Angeles comes as both New York and Chicago saw increases in homicides.

Californians planning to stuff their thinning wallets with money from 2008 state income tax returns could be disappointed. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

For the first time in 17 years, California finance officials warn they could pay taxpayer income tax refunds in April with IOUs. And don't get any ideas: Residents who owe tax cannot pay the state with IOUs.

Though the plan sounds like a desperate move from a down-and-out Vegas high roller, it's actually one of the few alternatives remaining for the world's eighth-largest economy as it struggles to close an ever-growing budget gap - now estimated at nearly $15 billion for this fiscal year. If nothing's done, the gap could widen to $41.6 billion by July 2010.

Goodbye 2008