February 2009 Archives

Livening up what has been a quiet election, City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel has opened an attack on opponent Nick Patsaouras in the race for city controller to be decided Tuesday. Daily News.

Greuel - who has raised $1 million in her campaign compared with Patsaouras' $100,000 - released a television ad that questions a past tax lien against him and his involvement with a failed bank.

The commercial begins lauding Greuel's background, then shifts in tone and says, "As the chairman, he drove Marathon Bank into the ground. Regulators stepped in. And, Nick Patsaouras had liens of over a hundred thousand dollars for not paying his taxes..."

If sending notices to companies that owe city back taxes doesn't work, perhaps public humiliation will. Daily News.

That's what Councilwoman Wendy Greuel hopes. She released a list of 16 firms that she said owe the city at least $100,000 each and have refused to pay, despite the threat of penalties, higher interest payments and litigation.

A new city Web site (www.lacity.org/finances/delinquent.htm) lists the firms that owe the money.

In the race for city controller, the two principal candidates want to let you know one thing: They are not Laura Chick, the charismatic, strong-willed current controller of Los Angeles. Daily News.

But, both Councilwoman Wendy Greuel and businessman Nick Patsaouras say they will try to continue the crusading approach Chick has adopted in her eight years as controller - and expand on it.

"Laura has done a great job as controller," Greuel said. "Part of it is based on who she is, but also the increased power given the controller to do management audits.

We've reported that San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is setting off campaign sparks with his 2010 Democratic gubernatorial run by scheduling high-profile public events in rival cities like Los Angeles. S.F. Chronicle.

Now it's 'back at 'ya'' from Team Villraigosa.

The team of political gurus who have the inside track on running Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's 2010 gubernatorial campaign have just opened spiffy new headquarters...in the City of St. Francis.

That would be SCN Public Relations, headed by Villaraigosa's former campaign manager Averell "Ace" Smith, with partnering from political strategy veterans Sean Clegg, a former deputy mayor in Los Angeles, and longtime Demo insider Dan Newman.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority board on Thursday approved spending plans for the nearly $1 billion in transportation money Los Angeles County expects to get from the $787 billion federal economic-stimulus plan. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

The bulk of the spending - some $640 million - would go toward buying and repairing buses and railcars. The transportation authority also wants to use $100 million to get the 405 Freeway car-pool lane project moving.

While the state ultimately has to sign off on the plans, it is expected to do so if county agencies act promptly and have organized projects ready to go.

A year after she recommended the city overhaul its anti-gang programs, City Controller Laura Chick said Thursday the Mayor's Office still has more work to do to improve its evaluation and coordination of the efforts.Daily News.

Even as Chick acknowledged it was early to assess the consolidation of programs under Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, she said she wanted her office involved in that review.

"The mayor has moved to build a framework," Chick said. "But it is just a framework. We have yet to see the house built."

With a $180 million expansion plan on hold, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center nurses and doctors are telling irritated patients that their care would be much better if the city let the project move ahead. Daily News.

Just ask family members of Councilman Richard Alarcón - whose push to have a full environmental review of the planned expansion helped stall the project.

"I know firsthand what they're doing," Alarcón said. "My stepdaughter had to bring her 11/2-year-old into the emergency room, and she and my wife were told I was stopping the expansion.

If you live in Los Angeles and want to gripe about the
government, there's a mayor who wants to hear from you -- Gavin Newsom of San Francisco. Associated Press.
Newsom is sending invitations to a public forum next month that will be held on the doorstep
of his potential rival in the next governor's race, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio
Villaraigosa.
The event in Santa Monica on March 19 is being billed as a "Los Angeles Area Conversation
about California's Future."
The two Democrats are on a long list of possible candidates for the 2010 contest. (Newsom has formed an exploratory committee, Villaraigosa has not committed one way or the other as he faces re-election on Tuesday)
It will be the San Francisco mayor's second trip to the Los Angeles area in less than a
month after he attended a weekend forum of 2010 hopefuls in Northridge.
Villaraigosa aides refused to comment.

At 93, Helene Schnagel doesn't go out to the beauty parlor or restaurants anymore. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

It's not only tough for her to get around with a walker and cane, but her Social Security benefits just don't stretch as far as they used to.

"I have no savings left in my bank account, and it's very difficult for me to pay my way, the way I used to," said Schnagel. "Before, I had a living husband and sister, and everyone chipped in. Now, it's a bit on the hard side."

Schnagel, who lives in Tarzana, is one of an astonishing number of older citizens in Los Angeles County and California who are unable to pay for their most-basic needs, according to a new study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and the Oakland-based Insight Center for Community Economic Development.

Los Angeles would pump millions of dollars into the training and oversight of anti-gang groups to sway at-risk kids from joining street gangs in violent neighborhoods, the city's anti-gang czar proposed Wednesday. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The proposed $5 million program would create a training and certification process for city-funded gang intervention workers and require them to meet frequently with kids likely to join a gang - and those kids' parents.

"Any of our prevention programs working with young people at risk of joining gangs are going to have a significant family component," said the Rev. Jeff Carr, the city's anti-gang czar, in his first quarterly report to the City Council on Wednesday.

Facing a sharp decline in the shooting of big-budget productions in Los Angeles, city officials are considering hiring a "film czar" to promote their interests with the multibillion-dollar entertainment industry.Daily News.

Just three major films - those with budgets more than $75 million - are scheduled to be shot in L.A. this year, city officials said.

When you're a friend of the IBEW _ and its Measure B solar initiative _ they stand by you.
In addition to their support for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the IBEW Local 18 has poured more than $150,000 into the race for City Controller on behalf of Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who supports the solar measure and voted to place it on the ballot.
The union also spent nearly $25,000 in a mailer critical of Greuel's main opponent, businessman Nick Patsaouras.

Former Mayor Richard Riordan announced Wednsday his endorsemetn of Adeena Bleich in the 5th Council District race next Tuesdy.
"Adeena is the right leader at the right time for Los Angeles," Riordan said in a statement.
"Her vision of greater access and accountability is exactly what Los Angeles needs to help get back on track as a model, sustainable city."

In an economy that has been figuratively exacting a pound of flesh from many, Melanie Burnett has been literally selling a part of herself to help pay her way through college. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Burnett, a kinesiology major at California State University, Northridge, earned $6,000 last semester by selling her eggs to a fertility clinic. She expects to receive a similar amount for another egg donation this spring.

"Economic times are hard now, but for me they were also hard last semester and the semester before. This is a good way where I am making money and not having to work a full-time job," said Burnett, 21.

Foreclosures continued to pummel the San Fernando Valley housing market in January, driving down the median price to $352,000, its lowest level in nearly six years, according to two reports released Tuesday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The January figure is down 33 percent from the $525,000 median recorded just a year earlier for a previously owned house from Glendale to Calabasas, according to the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at California State University, Northridge.

And it's 47 percent under the record $660,000 reached in May 2007.

Four candidates are vying for two open seats on the Los Angeles Unified School District Board of Education in an election that will put one working schoolteacher on the seven- member panel. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Voters in Tuesday's election could also give Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa broader influence on the board that sets policy for more than 700,000 students.

Board president Monica Garcia is running unopposed for her seat, but longtime members Marlene Canter, in board District 4, and Julie Korenstein, District 6, are stepping down.

Taft High School Principal Sharon Thomas and five other staff members were reassigned Tuesday pending an investigation by school officials into whether they failed to promptly report hazing incidents involving the boys' varsity volleyball team. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Allegations of hazing came from a number of students involved in the incidents, which took place in the fall, district officials said.

District officials would not give details, but many students outside the school Tuesday said it involved suggestive acts with a sex toy.

The process used to place a solar initiative on the March 3 ballot came into question Tuesday, with opponents arguing that Measure B needed further study before it was put to a vote. Daily News.

But supporters said Measure B is needed to ensure that the Department of Water and Power stays on track with efforts to develop solar sources.

And during an early morning debate sponsored by Town Hall Los Angeles and the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, both sides agreed that DWP has a poor record of developing solar power over the years but differed on whether the issue should be legislated by City Charter.

A state Senate committee has sided with opponents of Proposition 8 in the court battle over gay marriage. Daily News.

The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 3-2 Tuesday to approve a resolution that says the proposition's ban on same-sex marriages was a constitutional revision. As such, it would have needed approval from the Legislature to reach last November's ballot.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, one of the most influential political figures in the African-American community announced Tuesday she is supporting private attorney Carmen Trutanich for City Attorney in next Tuesday's election.
Waters said she was impressed with Trutanich's direct experience working in South L.A.
"Carmen Trutanich grew up in South Los Angeles and worked in our community as a successful prosecutor taking dangerous gang members off our streets," Waters said. "But, what impresses me most about Carmen Trutanich, is that he cares deeply about gang prevention.
Trutanich said he was honored by the endrosement.

We noted here Monday that Councilman Jack Weiss called a news conference to get the support of envrrionmentalists and never showed up to respond to questions.
The Weiss campaign held another news conference this morning on the steps of City Hall to get the support of the Brady Campaign for his stand on gun control laws.
This time, Weiss did show up for the pro forma event
And, he even made an appearance at the City Council meeting to talk about his opposition to digitbal billboards and supergraphics.

Nearly 4,000 jail inmates would be released early and about 600 deputy and professional positions would be eliminated to meet budget cuts, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca said Monday.AP in the Daily News.

Owing to the current economic crisis, the Sheriff's Department faces a $71 million cut to its $2.5 billion budget in the coming fiscal year.

Baca told The Associated Press it looks as if he'll have to close two jails and eliminate the positions of the staff at those facilities.

The only notice Glendale resident John McMahon got that T-Mobile USA planned to erect a 34-foot tall cellular telephone tower in front of his home was a slip of paper that looked like a flier advertizing pizza. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

It said the company planned to construct the tower on a right-of-way strip of grass between the road and the sidewalk in front of his house. When McMahon realized what was about to happen, he and several of his neighbors contacted the city to complain.

Fifteen candidates from all walks of life and areas of the Southland are vying to be elected March 3 to four seats on the Los Angeles Community College District board.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

A key issue for many of the candidates is the disbursement of $3.5billion in revenue generated by Measure J, a bond issue that was approved by voters in November.

Candidates are elected at large, although they run for specific seats on the seven-member board. If one candidate for each seat fails to capture a majority of the vote, a run-off elected between the top two finishers will be held May 19.

Fifteen candidates from all walks of life and areas of the Southland are vying to be elected March 3 to four seats on the Los Angeles Community College District board.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

A key issue for many of the candidates is the disbursement of $3.5billion in revenue generated by Measure J, a bond issue that was approved by voters in November.

Candidates are elected at large, although they run for specific seats on the seven-member board. If one candidate for each seat fails to capture a majority of the vote, a run-off elected between the top two finishers will be held May 19.

Here is a look at the r

Former City Controller Rick Tuttle threw his support Monday behind Measure B, the solar initiative on teh March 3 ballot.
Tuttle said he was impressed with provisions that require an annual audit of the [program, designed to develop 400 megawatts of soalr power by the year 2014.
'Measure B mandates an independent annual audit of the solar program by the City Controller to ensure each dollar is spent wisely and that the program is on track to reach its goals on time." Tuttle said.
The measure also has been endorsed by current state Controller John Chiang and former state Controller Steve Westley.

What if you gave a news conference and the principal didn't show?
Such is the case for Councilman Jack Weiss, whose campaign tried to drum up interest in an event where he was being endorsed by several environmentalists.
But, no Weiss.
Where was he?
At other campaign events, reporters were told. But none were listed on his public schedule.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League stepped up its complaint over a decision to not allow ofrficers to wear helmiets during a recent protest. The League began running a radio spot asking for public support as its lawsuit against the city makes its way through the courts.
The League said the decision to not allow officers to wear helmets at a demonstration in front of the Israel consulate endaganerer officers and violated the LAPD's own policies.
The League lawsuit seeks a court order restraining the city from prohibiting, interfering or discouraging Los Angeles police officers from wearing protective safety helmets during crowd control missions at protests and demonstrations. The suit also directs the city to comply with all applicable safety laws and regulations in the future.
"We are disappointed that the LAPD has ignored our concerns about officer safety and that we have to turn to radio commercials to put public pressure on the LAPD to follow its own policies," said League President Paul M. Weber.
"Sending police officers into potentially incendiary situations without proper protective gear puts everyone at risk. Our officers can't protect the public if they are suffering injuries at the hands of demonstrators."

In a year of financial meltdown at home and declining fortunes in their own party, California Republicans heard a pair of wealthy Silicon Valley Republican moderates take sharp turns to the right Saturday to sell their 2010 campaigns for governor. San Francisco Chronicle.
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman and State Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner joined nearly 1,000 delegates this weekend at the three-day state Republican convention, a gathering where party activists in decidedly blue California met to hear candidates and talk strategy for future elections.

Courting early support from San Fernando Valley Democrats for the 2010 governor's race Sunday, Gavin Newsom earned applause for his San Francisco record, John Garamendi drew laughs with jabs at Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Jerry Brown won smiles with reminders of his "Gov. Moonbeam" years.Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

In a separate appearance before the group, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa ostensibly focused on his March 3 re-election bid, and not a potential run for governor, by touting achievements on education, the environment and crime.

"I'm here to thank you for your support for the 2009 (mayoral) campaign," Villaraigosa told about 200 listeners at the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley's biennial meeting at Cal State Northridge.

A Villaraigosa aide said his speech, originally scheduled for lunchtime alongside the three avowed governor hopefuls, was moved to the morning to accommodate his busy schedule, rather than any effort to mask statewide ambitions during the mayoral campaign.

As election season winds down, five of the nine candidates hoping to dethrone Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took some jabs at the well-financed incumbent at a mayoral forum in Tujunga Sunday afternoon. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

Sunday's forum was yet another debate at which the mayor was a no-show. During a recent editorial board meeting with the Daily News, Villaraigosa said his campaign would focus on his achievements and he would not debate the mayoral challengers.

On Sunday morning, Villaraigosa did attend a meeting of San Fernando Valley Democrats in Northridge, an event that was more focused on hopefuls for the 2010 governor's race.

- It would have been like no other mayoral race. Associated Press in the Daily News.

The American Lung Association billed it as a battle of the buff: wiry Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, 56, against hunky San Francisco counterpart Gavin Newsom, 42. The race up more than 1,000 steps to promote clean air would have been a warm-up to the potential gubernatorial race between the two toothy, telegenic politicians.

Despite a near 15-year age disadvantage and 180 more steps to climb while inhaling some of the country's worst air, Villaraigosa would not get any handicap, said Andy Weisser, a lung association spokesman.

But either the association jumped the gun sending out its press release before the leaders signed on or the mayors got cold feet about competing in an event that could have turned into a photo flop. A revised release issued a week later made it clear the spring contest was between the cities.

Even as Los Angeles enjoys historically low crime levels, the three leading candidates for city attorney have taken a tough law-and-order stance in their campaigns. Daily News.

City Councilman Jack Weiss, 44, is running a series of commercials emphasizing his support of the Los Angeles Police Department, the endorsement he's received from Chief Bill Bratton and his six years of experience as an assistant U.S. attorney.

TIPOFFS: A voluntary pay cut proposal leaves some officials in the cold.

Former Assemblyman Paul Koretiz picked up the endorsement of the Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence in his bid for teh 5th District seat on the City Council in the March 3 election.
In a letter to Koretz, the group said it appreicated his "strong support for common sense laws to reduce gun violence, particularly your leadership as the author of the California law banning .50 caliber sniper rifles and your groundbreaking work to ban Saturday Night Specials in West Hollywood."
In other endorsements, Neighborhood Council leader Ron Galperin was supported by the Los Angeles Times, which also gave high marks to businesswoman Robyn Ritter Simon.

This is what it means to be Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: Daily News.,

A friend and ally of President Obama and former President Clinton.

A frequent visitor to Washington, D.C., and Sacramento for lobbying trips. A rumored candidate for governor in 2010. A widely sought speaker and one of Time Magazine's top 25 Hispanic leaders.

Oh, and there's that little matter of a re-election campaign going on now - one he's expected to win March 3 by a huge margin, given the absence of high-profile challengers.

He is running the campaign as if he has no opponents at all, refusing to appear at debates or forums with any of them. Because he is not accepting city matching funds, he is not required to appear with them.

Moving to protect the region's job base and keep companies from fleeing to other states, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. will send postcards to 200,000 local businesses offering the services of an economic ombudsman. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The mailing will raise the profile of the six regional managers for the LAEDC who to help companies recruit skilled workers, secure financing and cut through bureaucratic red tape.

"There are a lot of programs that can help (businesses) bring down their costs and make them more efficient and that's important in this environment," said Jack Kyser, the LAEDC's senior vice president.

Former Assemblyman Paul Koretz released a number of endorsementw he has recieved from current and former Los Angeles City Council members in his race foere the 5th Council District seat on March 3.
They are current Council members Dennis Zine, Janice Hahn, Bill Rosendahl., Her Wesson, Ed Reyes, Jose Huizar and Richard Alarcon. Former councili emmbers include Joy Picus, Bob Ronka, Nate Holden, Mike Feujer and Joel Wachs.
He also announced an endorsement from the Stonewall Democratic
Club.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa takes center stage in a commercial being launched by supporters of Measure B, the solar initiaitive on the March 3 ballot.
Villaraigosa is featured in the commercial and provides the voice-over for the spot that concludes the measure "is the green way" to create jobs in Los Angeles.
The commercial, on television and the internet, begins tomorrow. It will be part of an all out effort leading up to the election to include mailings, advertisements and door-to-door campaign.
So far, contacts have been made with 700,000 voters, supporters said

Real estate: Figure falls 40 percent in January, but bargains spur sales.Gregory J;.Wilcox in the Daily News.

With foreclosed homes diluting the real-estate market, Southern California housing prices continued to slide in January but made huge gains in sales, a market tracker said Thursday.

The median price plunged 40 percent across the six-county region to $250,000, said MDA DataQuick. Sales of new and previously owned houses and condominiums increased 52.5 percent to 15,277 transactions.

The median price - the point where half of the homes sell for more and half for less - has tumbled from its year-ago level for 19 consecutive months.

After months of uncertainty, local government, school and transportation officials said Thursday the budget approved by state lawmakers would cut hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues and result in deep cuts in public services. Tony Castro and Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

"The state budget was cut more than anytime in its history, and we're definitely going to feel those cuts," Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarc&0acute;n said. "The city's cuts will be minimal compared to what's happened in the past, but the county was cut severely."

The fiscal package lawmakers passed early Thursday involves $15 billion in cuts, $13billion in tax increases, $8billion in federal stimulus funding and $5 billion in borrowing.

Bottom line: How will your wallet fare under the new California budget and the federal stimulus package? Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

For the typical household, the net impact of the past week's tax changes might be slight, according to financial experts who were only beginning to crunch the numbers Thursday.

"What's happening, to some degree, is that one hand's giving and one hand's taking away," said Rob Seltzer, a Beverly Hills-based certified public accountant and personal financial specialist, referring to what people stand to gain from the federal package and lose in the state budget.

Passage of the state budget brought jitters to service providers for the developmentally disabled Thursday. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Many wondered how the $100 million in general funding cuts would affect day programs, in-house visits and services that help men and women live outside of institutions.

In Sacramento, nearly 200 people from groups that serve the developmentally disabled, along with beneficiaries of the programs and their families, gathered for one of three stakeholders meetings organized by the state's Department of Developmental Services.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is making his third trip to Washington, D.C.,, in the past three weeks and his fouth since December to see how much stimulus money the city can get.
The mayor said he will be meeting with the secretaries of Energy, Education, Transportation and Housing and Urbvan Development to see where the city can qualify for funding.
He also is to meet with Attorney General Eric Holder .
Villaraigosa also will be part of a delegation of U.S. mayors meeting with President Obama and Vice President Biden.

With the March 3 election approching, candidates announced a series of endorsements.
In the 5th Council District, former Controller Rick Tuttle endorsed Ron Galberin, while Adeena
Bleich picked up the support of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and the Los
Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
Councilman Jack Weiss, who is running for City Attorney, won endorsements from Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles, Rep. Howard Breman, D-Sherman Oaks, and Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Tarzana, among several other legislators.

The Measure B campaign announced Thurdaay that Concilman Bill Rosendahl has come out in support of the solar measure on the March 3 ballot.
"It's time we break our addiction for fossil fuels and start curbing the effects of climate change. Measure B takes a step in the right direction by harnessing the sun's energy right here in sunny Southern California. The future is now and the future is bright. Los Angeles can lead the way in soon becoming the solar capital of the United States., Rosendahl said.

The Los Angeles County Young Democrats announced the following:

The Los Angeles County Young Democrats, the largest youth-focused Democratic political organization in California, has elected Katherine Hennigan, 28, to a two-year term as president.
Hennigan has been on the Board of the Los Angeles County Young Democrats since 2004, serving in various capacities including Vice President of Programming until her recent election to President.
"It is truly an honor to serve an organization dedicated to the young voters who have had such a loud voice in the political process recently," said Hennigan. "This is an exciting moment in our country's history - and especially for young Americans."
Professionally, Katherine Hennigan is Westside Planning Deputy for Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss.

Mayoral candidate Walter Moore took to the airwaves on Wednesday with a spot challenging Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to debates before the March 3 election.

Economic pain from the recession will persist the whole year and drive a 400 percent increase in Los Angeles County job losses, but the slump should bottom out before 2010, according to a forecast released today. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The county is expected to lose 89,000 jobs this year, compared with 17,800 in 2008, the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp. said in its annual forecast.

Statewide, the recession is expected to strip 447,500 jobs from California's economy.

"This is the grimmest forecast I've issued since I've been at the LAEDC," said Jack Kyser, vice president and chief economist at the nonprofit business organization. He started with the LAEDC in 1991 during the last big Southern California recession.

The adage that timing is everything takes on even greater meaning in a recession-battered economy, where the outcome of every business decision is good, bad or uncertain. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Just ask Joey Rispaud, Michael Vosganian and Kaveh Ebrahimi, who, by sheer serendipity, are stars in a three-act play set in the year-old recession - a drama playing out with a cliffhanger ending.

Joey Rispaud's timing could not have been better, or more impressive.

Exacerbating Los Angeles County government's worsening financial situation, its property tax revenues are expected to dip for the first time since the mid-1990s, officials said Tuesday. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

"Our county's fiscal situation ... continues to decline," Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka told the Board of Supervisors.

Fujioka's comments came as state lawmakers continued to haggle over how to handle a $42 billion budget deficit. As the state controller delays $106 million a month in payments to the county, the supervisors have become increasingly concerned that they might have to cut or reduce a host of social services and health programs that serve millions of county residents.

City officials launched two new efforts Tuesday to ease the foreclosure crisis, with a pilot program to offer financing help to troubled San Fernando Valley homeowners and a call for banks to explain their lending practices. Daily News
The $1.5 million pilot program, authored by Councilman Richard Alarc n, would help homeowners in his North and Central Valley council district with financing assistance to keep them in their homes.

Details of the program, which was given preliminary City Council approval, are still to be worked out by the city Housing Department within the next month.

California lawmakers on Monday were locked in a frustrating search for one more vote to approve a $42 billion budget-balancing plan state leaders say is needed to stave off fiscal disaster. AP in the Daily News.

The stalled effort prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to make good on an earlier promise to begin the layoff process for thousands of state workers, though under the state's process it would take months for anyone to actually be laid off.

Lawmakers were in session for a state-record 30 hours before disbanding Sunday night, with many of them looking haggard and worn out after a futile attempt to secure the necessary votes. They regrouped Monday, but the expected budget votes kept getting pushed back.

Former President Clinton joined with Los Angeles city officials Monday to announce the launch of the nation's biggest environmentally friendly light replacement program. Daily News

The city plans to spend $57 million to retrofit 140,000 streetlights with LED bulbs, a move that is expected to ultimately save the city $10 million a year in energy costs.

"Greening is the future of Los Angeles," Clinton told a group of 100 invited guests at the City Hall Rotunda.

It was the former president's foundation, the Clinton Climate Initiative, that came to the city with the concept of replacing the inefficient bulbs with the more expensive LEDs, or light-emitting diodes.

The California Senate abruptly adjourned its marathon weekend session Sunday night, leaving in doubt the fate of a $14.4billion tax bill that is a key part of a plan to balance the state budget. AP in the Daily News.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, angrily adjourned proceedings shortly before 9 p.m. after a Republican lawmaker complained that the hours of negotiations and debate that began Saturday night had been a charade.

Steinberg said that lawmakers would meet again today to try to salvage the combination of spending cuts, tax hikes and additional borrowing designed to erase a $42 billion deficit.

It started when Clint Eastwood went to Michigan to film "Gran Torino." Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Since then, George Clooney, Cuba Gooding Jr., Hilary Swank and other movie stars have made the pilgrimage to make movies in The Wolverine State.

Now, the phones are ringing off the hook in the "Hollywood of the Midwest," where Los Angeles film and television crews are flocking to take advantage of filming incentives - something the state of California doesn't do.

"We're not the new Hollywood," said Mark Adler, director of the Michigan Production Alliance, a trade organization that supports film and video production.Racing

- Six of the challengers to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's re-election bid sparred in a rowdy forum Sunday that riled up the crowd over issues like immigration and the failures of city government. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

Villaraigosa, who has been running his campaign as if he is uncontested, did not show up. But that didn't stop the candidates from taking shots at him as well as each other.

About the only thing the challengers agreed on was a desire to dethrone Villaraigosa.

Within the Los Angeles Community College District's nine colleges, enrollment last fall stood at 135,103, up 11 percent from fall 2007. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

Many of the new students were laid off in the bad economy and are now retraining for new jobs. Others are workers seeking to upgrade their skills to make themselves more valuable in the workplace or secure a better-paying job.

And some are students who had planned to attend four-year state universities, but were turned away because of enrollment caps.

TIPOFFS: One company lobbies to keep contract; Chief Bill Bratton upsets some with endorsements.

It's a quarter to three. There's no one in the place who isn't feeling the effects of the economic crisis.Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

Duck into any watering hole in any of the San Fernando Valley communities hit hard by business failures, worker layoffs and the stock-market dives. The bar conversation these days is likely to be as somber as the inevitable Frank Sinatra tunes on the jukebox.

At Pickwick's Pub, in Woodland Hills, construction contractors gather to talk about where there's work.

At Monty's Steakhouse, just up Ventura Boulevard from Pickwick's, a largely conservative crowd worries that the new president will raise taxes. It's a quarter to three. There's no one in the place who isn't feeling the effects of the economic crisis.

Duck into any watering hole in any of the San Fernando Valley communities hit hard by business failures, worker layoffs and the stock-market dives. The bar conversation these days is likely to be as somber as the inevitable Frank Sinatra tunes on the jukebox.

At Pickwick's Pub, in Woodland Hills, construction contractors gather to talk about where there's work.

At Monty's Steakhouse, just up Ventura Boulevard from Pickwick's, a largely conservative crowd worries that the new president will raise taxes.

It turns out F. Scott Fitzgerald was wrong when he famously wrote about the rich being different from you and me. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Even some of them had trouble making mortgage payments last year and lost homes to foreclosure.

In the ZIP code of 91302 - which encompasses Calabasas and the gated city of Hidden Hills - 40 homes were reclaimed by lenders in 2008, according to a report by MDA DataQuick, which was prepared for the San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center at California State University, Northridge.

The crucifix adorning the gate and a life-size figure of a Buddha on the porch suggest the home is religious. But you won't recognize the faith until you go inside and find Charles Guelperin going through his morning Santeria rituals.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

In a study filled with unusual objects, Guelperin meditates with his forehead on an urn representing Obatala, the holiest of Santeria spirits. He then kisses it before brushing himself with an elaborate large horsetail that symbolically cleanses him for the day ahead.

This is the kingdom of Guelperin, who looks like an aging Marine with Old-World mystic eccentricities that can quickly frighten and intimidate.

President Barack Obama changed the way campaigns are funded with his use of the internet and near daily appeals for money to the millions who signed on to his site.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is taking a page from that effort with his own appeal that went out on Friday.
"Tomorrow, February 14, marks an important fundraising deadline. It's a chance for our campaign to publicly show, for every Angeleno to see, that we have the momentum to continue the changes we've made in the last four years. I need your help to make that statement." Villaraigosa said in an appeal for money.
He talks of his effort to expand the LAPD, improve schools and other programs underway
"Our improvements are starting to take hold. But to keep up the work we've begun I need your support to carry our message of a brighter tomorrow to each and every Angeleno." he writes..

City Controller candidate Nick Patsaouras and City Attorney candidate Michael Amerian are each using a theme of being independent as their television commercials hit on Friday.
For Patsaouras, who has been close friends with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for years, promises to bring an independent voice to the controller's job and end "business as usual" at City Hall.
Amerian, who is a deputy city attorney, goes directly after Councilman Jack Weiss, who is considered the frontrunner, with a closing remark of "a prosecutor, not a politician."

It's gonna hurt.

That, in essence, was the message Thursday from a wide range of government officials, welfare advocates, taxpayers and other experts about the tentative state budget deal reached in Sacramento. Sude Doyle and Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The deal, aimed at closing a $42billion deficit, calls for increases in taxes on retail sales, gasoline, automobiles and personal income.

It also makes billions of dollars in cuts to vital services such as children's welfare, education and transportation.

The re-election campaign of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced Thursday it will be opening two other campaign officers in addition to the Boyle Heights headquarters opened last week.'
On Sunday, he will open is South Los Angeles office at 3427 Crenshaw Blvd., and, on Monday, will open his Valley office at 7100 Hayvenhurst Ave., Van Nuys.

Joining other counties in California, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted to sue the state of California for deferring hundreds of millions of dollars in payments that fund mandated federal health and social service programs, officials said Wednesday. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Although state lawmakers announced Wednesday they had reached a tentative deal on how to close a $42 billion budget shortfall, the deal has not been approved and the state controller will begin this Friday delaying $106 million a month in payments to the county.

Supervisor Gloria Molina said the deferrals are not within state Controller John Chiang's legal authority.

"We are challenging him on that," Molina said. "He can't prioritize what is important and what's not. He plans to defer these payments very selectively. That's what the lawsuit is about. This is something most counties will be joining up with."

While voicing concern over the threat to local control, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday threw its support behind an effort to impose a two-year statewide moratorium on digital billboards. Daily News.

Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-West Los Angeles, appeared personally to seek council support of his measure, AB109, which would ban any digital billboard until independent studies are completed on the potential danger to driver safety from the flashing signs.

Council members voted 10-4 to support the measure. Those opposing were council members Richard Alarcon, Tony Cardenas, Bernard Parks and Ed Reyes, who said they believe the measure would limit their ability to control the installation and removal of signs.

A growing dispute between Los Angeles transit officials and a light rail car manufacturer is showing how hard it can be to stimulate a sagging economy even when money is available.
New York Times.

The Los Angeles transit authority says it will open bidding on the 100 light rail cars it considered buying from AnsaldoBreda.

Despite $40 billion for transportation spending approved by county voters in November and new federal support for public works programs, staff officials at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority, known as Metro, say they plan to open bidding on 100 new light rail cars they were considering buying from AnsaldoBreda, an Italian company.

Returning from his latest quick trip to Washington D.C., Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is scheduled to host a Centennial Breakfast on Thursday to kick off the NAACP's 100th Anniversary celebrations, including the 40th Anniversary of the NAACP Image Awards
at the Shrine Auditorium.
The breakfast will be at the Getty House.
Villaraigosa will honor the National NAACP, the 40th Annual Image
Awards, the Beverly Hills Hollywood Branch, and new National President
and CEO Benjamin Jealous.
A number of local leaders will be in attendance, including the Rev. James Lawson.
Villaraigosa was in Washington on Wednesday lobbying for federal funds out of the stimulus package.

Community College Board Trustee Angela J. Reddock picked up the endorsement of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Wednesday in her campaign for election to the Community College District's Board of Trustees on March 3.
"I'm honored, proud and delighted to have the endorsement of (the) mayorin my race," Reddock said.
"Mayor Villaraigosa fully understands the importance of maintaining a close relationship between the L.A.'s schools and its community colleges. Mayor Villaraigosa shares my belief that every student in high school should have an opportunity to attend college."

Los Angeles Councilwoman Wendy Greuel took her campaign for City Controller to television on Wednesday in a spot that features many of the city problems exposed by current Controller Laura Chick,
Greuel, who is in the middle of her second term on the council, is the best financed of the candidaetes, with more than $958,000 raised, according to the last statements filed with the city Ethics Commission.
Her principal competitor, businessman Nick Patsaouras, reported raising $46,000, while businesswoman Suzy Evans had $3,100 raised.

The number of California families who lost their homes to foreclosures plunged 31.5 percent from December to January, a sign that the state's real- estate crisis may be easing, an industry tracker said Tuesday. Gregory J; Wilcox in the Daily News.

The "dramatic" drop indicates that public and private sector efforts to keep troubled mortgage holders in their homes are gaining traction, said Alexis McGee, president of Sacramento-based Foreclosures.com.

"Efforts last year by government and industry to lay the groundwork for housing recovery finally are yielding the hoped-for slowdown in the foreclosure hemorrhage," McGee said.

Final cleanup took place Tuesday on a San Fernando Valley bikeway that had become home to transients and trash, city transportation officials reported. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

A contractor for the L.A. Department of Transportation removed the last of the trash Tuesday on a stretch of Orange Line bikeway between between Sepulveda Boulevard and Hazeltine Avenue.

The bike path had become blighted with trash, homeless encampments, drinking spots and overgrown weeds along the route.

Reducing operating hours for pools and parks, clustering sports leagues and cutting down on park maintenance - amid fears that gangs could reclaim some areas - were among grim, sobering prospects mentioned Tuesday to city officials dealing with budget problems. Daily News.

Jon Kirk Mukri, general manager of the city Recreation and Parks Department, said those proposals and others are being analyzed to overcome a $14 million gap in the agency's budget this year.

"We are trying to be equitable and maintain something at all our 400 parks," Mukri told the City Council. "It's a very difficult balancing act, but some things have to give."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration warned Tuesday that it will begin proceedings to lay off thousands of state workers if the governor and legislative leaders do not reach a budget deal by Friday. Mercury News.

Notices would go to employees with the least seniority in the state's corrections and health and human services departments, as well as in other agencies that receive money from the state's general fund, said Schwarzenegger's communications director, Matt David.

The move is part of the governor's order to cut 10 percent from the government payroll as California faces a $42 billion deficit through June 2

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, along with the mayors of other major California cities, returns to Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to lobby for federal funds under the stimulus bill as well existing transportation funds.
Villaraigosa was part of a group of mayors from across the nation who testified last week in support of the more than $800 billion measure.
This week, he will be there with Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and San Diego Mayor Jerry Reed to talk about how cities should be given priority in the funding.
They are scheduled to meet with are California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer as well as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. They also hope to meet with new Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to discuss local transit programs.
Villaraigosa also is to be honored by the League of Unite dLatin American Citizens as its 12th Annual National Legislative Awards.

--30--

As California enters its third year of drought, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called on Monday for mandatory water rationing in Los Angeles, with higher use rates for residents who fail to conserve.Daily News.

Residents would be limited to watering their lawns on Mondays and Thursdays, and further restrictions could be put in place by summer, depending on conditions.

While acknowledging the fourth straight day of rain in the city, Villaraigosa said it does not make up for the losses experienced in the state water supply and the need to conserve more water beyond the 6 percent savings already achieved by residents.

As the city faces a growing $450 million deficit, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Monday raised the possibility of massive city layoffs and said he would consider turning the zoo and convention center into public-private partnerships.Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

"We can't continue to operate the way we have in the past," Villaraigosa said, adding that there could be "layoffs in numbers we've never seen."

The mayor, at a meeting with the Daily News editorial board to seek an endorsement for his re-election, said all city services are on the table for potential deep cuts, except for public safety.

Los Angeles Unified schools spent $286 million on outside contracts for professional services last year, according to a district memo released Monday.George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The memo from Superintendent Ramon Cortines was drafted to counter claims from the teachers union that the LAUSD spent nearly three times that amount.

The single-page memo also highlights efforts by Cortines to rein in spending as the district struggles with a difficult budget year.

Meg Whitman, former president and CEO of eBay, announced the formation of an Exploratory Committee to seek the nomination for Governor in 2010, her campaign announced.
Former Gov. Pete Wilson will serve as campaign chairman. Others on the exploratory committee include Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Mary Bono Mack, state Senator Tony Strickland, Assembly Republican Whip Nathan Fletcher and former State Assemblywoman Sharon Runner.
"After careful consideration and with tremendous loyalty to our Golden State, I have formed an Exploratory Committee, the first step in the process of running for Governor in 2010," Whitman said.
"California faces challenges unlike any other time in its history - a weak and faltering economy, massive job losses, and an exploding state budget deficit. California is better than this, and I refuse to stand by and watch it fail. Now is the time for people across the state to join in a cause for change, excellence and a new California."
Whitman, 52, retired from eBay in March 2008 following a decade with the company. She campaigned for former Gov. Mitt Romney and later for Sen. John McCain in last year's presidential election.

****Poizner campaign response
Kevin Spillane, Communications Director for the Steve Poizner for Governor Exploratory Committee, today issued the following statement in response to the announcement that Meg Whitman has formed her own gubernatorial exploratory committee:
"We welcome Meg Whitman's formation of an exploratory committee. That Meg Whitman is thinking about running for Governor is a sign of strength for the California Republican Party.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Jerry Brown are joined by common ground. Both are high-profile Democrats and both are arming themselves for a 2010 run for governor. SF Chronicle.

But separating the two is a yawning difference that may define their futures as much as their pasts - a gulf of 30 years.

Two very different photos paint the picture of that generation gap. A family snapshot shows Newsom, circa 1974, on the steps of his Marina district home, a 6-year-old tow-headed tyke in a parochial school sailor suit uniform. Brown, then 36, graced the cover of Time Magazine in 1974, the year he was first elected California governor.

It's a tale of two gang turfs. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Lanark Park in Canoga Park and Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Memorial Park share an unfortunate distinction: Each has played host to some of the San Fernando Valley's most feared street gangs.

But today Lanark Park is back in neighborhood hands, with mothers pushing babies in strollers, kids playing on the ball fields and a swimming pool where no one fears threats or intimidation.

SANTA CLARITA - It began with a handful of local residents getting unexpected tax bills. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

It culminated in the arrests of 55 employees at one Valencia company - all on suspicion of identity theft.

Sheriff's deputies said the arrests Thursday of employees at L & M Optical Disc West followed two years of complaints by victims who showed up at the Santa Clarita Valley sheriff's station with federal tax documents showing they owed taxes on unreported income, said Sgt. James Anderson, head of the Santa Clarita Valley station's burglary and fraud unit.

Tipoffs: Councilman Bernard Parks denies rumors on his leaving MTA board.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will formally kick of his re-election campaign today with a rally at his Boyle Heights headquarters and a start of his television campaign.
The first TV spot by the mayor features Eleni Koutsoukos, owner of Dimion' Restaurant, talking about how crime has been reduced during Villaraigosa's first term. It has an over all teme of :"Bringing People Together, Getting Things Done." The commercial can be seen at the mayor's website.
The mayor has nine challengers in the March 3 race, although he and his campaign have decided to try to ignore them, refusing to participate in any debates or forums.

With Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's historic furlough of more than 200,000 state employees set to begin Friday , a major labor union warned that the state is ill-prepared to handle the work stoppage. Mercury News.

Leaders of SEIU Local 1000, which represents at least 80,000 employees being furloughed, reviewed dozens of memos directed to state workers by management this week and concluded the directives are rife with "chaos and contradictory information."

"There's mass confusion," union President Yvonne Walker said, adding that many employees late Thursday didn't know if they should show up for work Friday because they were unsure if their workplace would be open.

The scope of Bernard Madoff's alleged fraud is detailed in 162 pages of minuscule type: a list of the disgraced money manager's once-trusting customers, including a bevy of the rich, famous and powerful. Daily News.

In between, though, are all the others: the names you've never heard - thousands of mostly ordinary people, until now all but overlooked.

Their voices reveal the true toll of Madoff's scheme, one that cannot be measured in dollars alone.

To do so would overlook the anger, despair and silent shame they share.

As the battle over the city's controversial solar power measure heats up, City Controller Laura Chick announced Thursday that she would oppose the initiative, and a consultant defended his projections that it would cost two to three times the current estimates. Daily News.

A report from Andrew Rea of PA Consulting Group estimated that Measure B would cost up to $3.6 billion, far more than the $1 billion estimate by a different consultant hired by the Department of Water and Power.

Former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez has transferred money to a state Senate campaign account, potentially positioning himself for another run for office. Mercury News

Nunez, who was termed out in December, has filed paperwork for an open Senate seat representing Los Angeles in 2010.

Nunez reported nearly $5 million cash on hand in the Friends of Fabian Nunez for Senate 2010 campaign committee, which he formed last November. The total is based largely on contributions he transferred shortly afterward from his Assembly campaign account.

The confirmation hearings for Rep. Hild Solis, D-El Monte, were abruptly halted Thursday, after new revelations about tax liens on her husband's business. Capitol Weekly.
The jockeying to replace Solis has already reached a fever pitch. Among the top candidates in the race to replace her are Board of Equalization chairwoman Judy Chu, D-Monterey Park, and state Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles.

President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan would create or preserve as many as 421,000 jobs across California, the White House said Wednesday. Press-Enterprise.

The plan, meant to revitalize the nation's struggling economy, could pump as much as $63 billion into the Golden State -- and potentially billions to the Inland area. The money would come in a wide array of projects and programs, from tax cuts and state aid to funding for highway projects and school construction.

About half of Californians support the concept of a part-time Legislature, and are similarly divided about changing state elections to make them less partisan, according to a new Capitol Weekly/Probolsky Research Poll. Capitol Weekly.

The survey also found that more than half of those polled - 53 percent - believe that at least some environmental regulations should be eased in order to expedite infrastructure construction projects and take advantage of a looming federal economic stimulus package. Estimates of California's potential share of that federal funding range from $37 billion to $42 billion, or more.

Closing out another embarrassing chapter in Los Angeles Police Department history, the City Council on Wednesday approved a $12.85 million settlement of 297 cases stemming from the 2007 May Day melee at MacArthur Park. Daily News.

The council voted 14-0 in closed session to approve the settlement, which includes a requirement for the LAPD to institute a mandatory training program for all officers on how to respond to large demonstrations.

"What this says is the actions of a few officers can cost us a lot of money," council President Eric Garcetti said after the vote. "It shows why police reform is almost as important as police hiring."

On the streets, he's known as "Wild, Wild West," a blackout drinker famous for his wild behavior when intoxicated.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

But today, "Wild, Wild West" - one of the 50 most chronically homeless people on Skid Row - has been clean and sober for a year, has a home and is "happy and doing well."

"We've had a lot of success stories like this, but he is the first real excellent success story, and to this day he continues to be abstinent and has a real good future," said Carrie Bach, director of Project 50 and coordinator of the homeless program for the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, in Washington, D.C., as part of a group of local officials lobbying for money from the federal stimulus package as well as urging Congressional approval of the package, became an administration spokesman for the measure.
Villaraigosa, who was in Washington for one day, turned up on CNN and MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews to urge approval.
While there, he was asked on both networks on whether he will be running for governor.
' He deferred in his comments, pointing out he is running for re-election on March 3.

Former Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski on Tuesday endorsed Adeena Bleich in the 5th District City Council election on March 3.
Bleich, who is in a highly competitive race with five other candidates, also picked up the support ofr Cookie Lommel, founder of Operation Unity.
Miscikowski, who represented the neighboring 11th Council District when it included portions of the San Fernando Valley, was termed out of office. She has remained active on several issues regarding efforts to ban billboards and LAX,
"Adeena Bleich is passionate about serving the constituents in the 5th district and she has the energy and the experience as well as a bundle of new ideas to help make the city's government responsive to the community's needs," Miscikowski said.

The WH enlisted America's mayors Wednesday in its effort to pressure Congress to pass a stimulus package as soon as possible. Politico.

A group of city executives, gathered at the White House for a meeting with President Obama's senior staff, called on Congress to pass a stimulus bill by mid-February and lashed out at what Akron, Ohio, Mayor Donald Plusquellic called "business as usual" on the Hill.

"We're here to support the president's call for an economic stimulus package," said Miami Mayor Manny Diaz. "We need to get something passed. ... We're asking Congress to act."

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took a sharper tone toward Congress, declaring: "It's time to stop bickering and start negotiating."

Declaring its "own Boston Tea Party," the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday began plotting a tax revolt against the state of California by withholding potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax payments.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The move was a response to the nearly broke state government saying it will defer billions of dollars in payments to counties statewide this month until lawmakers agree on a deal to close the $42 billion budget deficit.

The supervisors asked staff members to look into tax revenues that the county normally collects and passes along to Sacramento to see if instead the county can legally hold on to that money.

Los Angeles Unified School District officials are confident a little help from paid Washington, D.C., lobbyists and a few personal appeals to U.S. congressmen and -women can secure the school district $1billion in federal stimulus money. VGeorge B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The money will balance the district's budget, which is expected to be slashed by nearly the same amount this school year due to dwindling state resources.

"We have a president who understands we have to invest at home in education," said LAUSD Board of Education member Yolie Flores Aguilar. "All eyes are on D.C. as we've lost hope for funds from the stat

A Los Angeles city councilman on Tuesday called for leveraging the city's $25 billion investment portfolio to pressure banks into helping homeowners who are facing foreclosure.

Councilman Richard Alarcón, whose northeast San Fernando Valley district has one of the higher rates of foreclosures in the city, asked for a report on the feasibility of the city withholding its money from banks that are refusing to work with homeowners.

If the banks are not working with the homeowners, Alarcón said, he would recommend that the city divest itself of any relationship with the financial institutions.

As he announced a new geothermal energy deal with Mexico on Tuesday, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also kicked off his campaign for the city's solar-power ballot measure, telling voters it would help clean the air and boost the green energy industry. Daily News.

Villaraigosa defended city officials' decision to place Measure B on the March 3 ballot and said he was confident it would win voter approval.

"Failure is not an option," he said. "Our hope is we will be able to convince the voters of this city that it makes a lot of sense, not only from a cost-benefit analysis, but the fact we have the dirtiest air in the nation."

From the ACLU:
The California Supreme Court announced today that it will hear oral arguments on Thursday, March 5, in the Proposition 8 legal challenge.
The National Center for Lesbian Rights, Lambda Legal, and the ACLU--with support from civil rights groups, religious organizations, labor unions, and legal scholars--argue that Proposition 8 is invalid because the people of California have established strict safeguards that prohibit the underlying principles of the California Constitution from being changed by a simple majority vote.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office announced he is on the road again to Washington, D.C., to meet with senior White House officials and the California Congressional Delegation to make sure the city is in line for federal economic stimulus funds.
The mayor is meeting on public transit and green technology and will urge that Los Angeles be considered as a model for the Obama Administration's effort to transform teh economy with tax breaks and grants.
"Los Angeles is doing today what the Obama Administration has promised
for the future," Villaraigosa said.
"L.A. can provide the roadmap
for the new administration to transform the U.S. economy into a thriving
green economy. We want to ensure that the economic recovery package
provides the greatest possible stimulus to the economy by maximizing
direct funding to cities already investing in public transportation,
green schools and clean technology."

City Councilman Jack Weiss notified the city Ethics Commission that he has exceeded the $1 million limit in spending in the City Attorney's race.
Weiss has been all over television with two commercials and he has spent more than $1.013 million, Ethics officials said.
That means his opponents, who have qualified for matching funds, can now spend the same $1.013 million.

The campaign of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced it has a new webstie for the March 3 election here.
It opens with a picture of Villaraigosa playing with children and a theme of "Bringing people together, Getting things done."
Inside there are links to issues, news and a blog as well as a place to contribute.
Villariaogs said with the website up, "we're ready to start a robust online campaign for change that you can take part in.
"At my new site, you can use our fast-and-easy tool to share our site with your friends. Or, you can sign up to volunteer with our campaign. You can read and respond to blog posts by me and my New Media Director, Daniel Lopez."

A consulting firm hired by the city to detail a proposed solar-power ballot measure estimated the cost at $1 billion - or only one-third the amount of earlier projections, officials said Monday. Daily News.

City officials had previously estimated that it could cost up to $3 billion, but could be reduced to $1.5 billion with federal tax credits.

A separate, highly critical outside audit to be released soon, however, estimates the cost at up to $3.6 billion and argues that the city would not be eligible for the tax credits.

***The report is available at the DWP website.

Bob Hope Airport would become the first in the country to ban nighttime flights of newer jets under a federal application approved Monday by the airport's board.Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

While Burbank residents have clamored for the change, neighbors of Van Nuys Airport are angry because it would divert 32 more flights per day in their direction. Van Nuys itself is also trying to limit nighttime flights by preparing its own curfew application.

"This is a historic day because we are asking a question ... of the Federal Aviation Administration that to date no airport in the United States has yet asked," said Dan Feger, executive director of the Bob Hope airport authority.

Donors gave more than $83 million to support or oppose the ballot initiative that abolished same- ex marriage in California, according to campaign disclosure reports made public Monday. AP in the Daily News.

The new filings, which cover the weeks immediately before and after the Nov. 4 election, show that elected officials, businesses, churches and individuals poured millions more into the contest than previously reported.

The final tallies show that opponents of Proposition 8 raised $43.3 million in 2008 and had a little more than $730,000 left on hand at year's end. The measure's sponsors raised $39.9 million and had $983,000 left over.

Police Chief William Bratton on Monday endorsed Councilman Jack Weiss in his race for city attorney in the March 3 election. Daily News.

"Nobody has worked harder in my six years as chief on issues of gangs, terrorism and forensics testing than Weiss," said Bratton, emphasizing that he was speaking for himself in making the announcement.

"It is important to have somebody who doesn't need to have on-the-job training and has a good relationship with other law enforcement agencies and works well with them."

With foreclosures threatening to deteriorate east San Fernando Valley neighborhoods, a new no-interest-loan program designed to boost first-time homeownership has been launched with some help from the city.Daily News.

The Los Angeles City Council has approved a $2 million program to provide financial assistance of up to $75,000 per buyer in the redevelopment area covering the East Valley.

"The American dream has turned into the American nightmare and bold steps need to be taken to help right this ship," said Councilman Richard Alarcón, whose district is within the area, along with that of Councilman Tony Cardenas.

For two Los Angeles City Council members, their March 3 re-election bids will be decided the moment they cast their own votes for themselves. Daily News.

Council members Richard Alarcón and Jan Perry face no opposition as they bid for third terms on the City Council.

Five other council members likewise are enjoying the luxury of incumbency, facing candidates with big hopes but small bases of support, little money and no real expectation of victory.

Those incumbent members, Dennis Zine, Ed Reyes, Bill Rosendahl, Eric Garcetti and Janice Hahn, have all amassed sizeable campaign war chests, but are doing little active campaigning.

Instead, they are able to rely on the lack of organized

TIPOFFS: No clear frontrunner in 5th District race. Odds and ends

With the economy mired in a deep recession, business couldn't be better for appliance repairman Dave Khorsandi or for Andy Gumaer, who co-founded one of the nation's biggest liquidation companies. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

And for Tarzana attorney Chris Reeder, the recession turned out to be a great time to open his own practice, despite the daily drumbeat of grim economic news.

Turns out that this recession is like all the others in one aspect: Some savvy businessmen prosper from others' financial pain.

The dispute over the future of the Sepulveda Veterans Affairs facility goes to the public this month, with a hearing over whether to allow construction of affordable housing on a portion of the site. Daily News.

Neighbors are concerned about increasing development, and question whether the project would be in the best interest of veterans.

"What we're concerned about is if they do this on this land, it could open up all 149 acres to development," said Peggy Burgess of the North Hills West Neighborhood Council land use comm

easure B, the city initiative on the March 3 ballot that calls for the installation of rooftop panels to capture solar energy, could cost more than double current estimates, according to a draft audit of the Department of Water and Power obtained by the Daily News.

The report by an outside consulting firm urged more study on the Green Energy and Good Jobs for Los Angeles proposal.