April 2009 Archives

The big guns came out Thursday in the Los Angeles City Attorney's race.
In the May 19 election between Carmen Trutanich and Councilman Jack Weiss, it was Trutanich who scored big when he announced he was being supported by basketball superstar Shaquille O'Neal.
Less supportive, in a city where gun control is widely backed, was the backing of the California Rifle and Pistol Association for Trutanich.
Weiss called an event to criticize the NRA backing of his opponent _ whose law firm has represented the organization _ but also to remind voters he had the supprt of another basketball superstar, Magic Johnson.
"I would much rather have a shooting guard backing me," Weiss joked.
O'Neal, who played for the Lakers from 1996-2004, helped win three world championships, released a statement saying he was impressed with Trutanich's proposals to increase gang prevention, after school and job training programs.
"I don't get involved in politics very often," O'Neal said in his statement. "But, as a father and police officer, when it comes to our kids, I'm going to get involved. (Carmen) is the only man I trust to work with our kids to keep them safe at school and away from gangs."
Johnson, who brought "Showtime" to the Lakers in his years and won four championships with the team, is now a major business leader in South Los Angeles. He was among a group of African-American leaders who endorsed Weiss during the primary.
Also joining in on the race is the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, which filed papers with the Ethics Commission it plans to spend more than $335,000 in advertising on behalf of Weiss.
That trumps the $252,000 spent by the Los Angeles Police Protective League on behalf of Trutanich.

New-vehicle sales plunged 43 percent across California in the first quarter from a year earlier as the recession and mounting job losses chilled consumer confidence, according to a report released Wednesday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

It's the second consecutive steep quarterly drop - sales fell an annual 39 percent during the fourth quarter of 2008 - and analysts see few signs that the market will rebound this year.

The California Auto Outlook released by the California New Car Dealers Association said 231,726 new vehicles were registered through March 31. At that pace, automakers may be unable to amass 1 million sales this year, the first time that's happened since 1975.

You may be anticipating the new indie film "The Girlfriend Experience," with porn actress Sasha Grey as a high-priced New York call girl, for, well, obvious reasons.

Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

But you probably weren't planning to head to the big screen to watch a bunch of Wall Street types angsting about the economy.

But then, why not? It's obviously Topic A on the minds of everyone these days.

The question is, are moviegoers really ready to line up to watch films about the recession?

City Council candidate Paul Koretz picked up the endorsement Wednesday of three of his primary election opponents in the May 19 runoff against David Vahedi.

Robyn Ritter Simon, Ron Galperin and Robert Schwartz sai dthey decided to back Koretz over Vahedi because of his familiarity with the area and his proposals if he is elected.

Koretz said he appreciated the endorsements from the three, who captured 40 percent of the vote in the primary election.

Just three weeks before California's special election, a poll released Wednesday finds Californians opposed to five of the six ballot measures. AP in the Mercury News.

The Field Poll suggests Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Democratic legislative leaders face a significant hurdle in persuading voters to support their complicated budget plan. The half-dozen measures were the result of a bipartisan budget package to deal with the state's $42 billion shortfall through June 2010.

"It appears that most likely voters are now on the 'No' side on each of the propositions, from 1A through 1E. None of them are getting more than 40 percent support," said Field Poll Director Mark DiCamillo. "They each have a long way to go."

In a sign of just how desperate we are for good economic news, a widely watched index released Tuesday shows home prices plunged in February but analysts noted it was the first time in 16 months that the decline failed to set a record. Gregory J Wilcox in the Daily News.

Standard and Poors' Case-Shiller Home Price Index showed the 10- and 20-city composites fell in February an annual 18.8 percent and 18.6 percent, respectively. They also eased down from January, when they fell by 19.4 percent and 19 percent, respectively.

Nearly 1,400 Los Angeles Unified teachers, counselors, and administrators have signed up for early retirement - a better-than-expected response that could save the district hundreds of jobs as it braces for massive layoffs. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

LAUSD officials are offering early retirement to employees for the first time in 17 years to save some of the 5,400 jobs that were eliminated earlier this month to close a $596 million budget gap.

District officials said it was too soon to know exactly how many jobs would be saved by the early retirement program but Superintendent Ramon Cortines said he was happy with the number of retirement volunteers, who will help keep younger employees in their jobs.

A bold plan to overhaul state laws that prevent the firing of bad teachers was narrowly rejected by the Los Angeles Unified School District board Tuesday, instead replaced by a task force to further study the issue. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The original proposal from board member Marlene Canter called for an update of state law to allow teachers with two consecutive bad performance reviews to be fired, among other changes.

Currently, districts have to go through a lengthy process to remove teachers, involving a panel made up of an administrative judge and two educators. Over the past five years, 31 teachers have been fired in California.

Despite improvements over the years, the Los Angeles area remains the most ozone-polluted region in the country, according to a report released Tuesday by the American Lung Association.Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The group's 10th annual national report also found that 38 California counties, including Los Angeles, received a failing grade for air quality - 12 more than last year.

Among other factors, the bad grades reflect a more stringent national ozone standard implemented in 2008, said Bonnie Holmes-Gen, senior policy director for the American Lung Association.

The increasingly antagonistic city attorney's race spilled over Tuesday to City Hall, where a group of Councilman Jack Weiss' constituents criticized how he has represented his district. Daily News.

At the same time, Weiss' campaign went after opponent Carmen Trutanich, complaining that a new television commercial carries a negative tone and makes false statements.

With the May 19 election three weeks away, the two candidates intensified their efforts, even as plans for all future debates were cancelled.

Acknowledging they had failed to adequately communicate with residents, city officials backed away Tuesday from a plan to ask property owners for a fourfold increase in stormwater fees.
Daily News.
Board of Public Works president Cynthia Ruiz conceded that not enough had been done to inform the public of the plan to boost annual stormwater charges from $23.04 to $99 over a five-year period. The fee, which has not increased in 17 years, pays for code enforcement associated with clean-water projects.

A stretch of the eastbound Ronald Reagan Freeway has turned into the California Speedway since it was expanded to four lanes last month, with the CHP issuing nearly three times more speeding tickets than usual over the past six weeks. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

On one recent morning, California Highway Patrol officers cited 23 motorists for speeding in just three hours on the nearly 3-mile stretch from Tapo Street to Kuehner Drive through Simi Valley.

Fearing the high speeds will lead to more crashes, authorities are beefing up patrols to snare motorists angling for pole position on their harried commutes to Los Angeles.

California and Los Angeles County saw home sales soar in March, while prices continued their slide from a year earlier, a trade association said Monday. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Sales of previously owned single-family houses jumped 64percent statewide, while the median price fell 39percent to $253,050, said the California Association of Realtors.

The median price was 2.2percent higher than February's $247,590 median - the first monthly price increase since August 2007, the association said.

In the all way too serious city elections up for May 19, there has been a notable lack of humor.
Yet, a glimmer emerged Monday and, from all places, the campaign of Councilman Jack Weiss, who is running for City Attorney.
Opponent Carment Trutanich has said he will not participate in any more debates with Weiss and Sheriff Lee Baca has pulled his endorsement from Weiss because of the negative tone of his most recent television commercial.
As a result, Weiss campaign manager Ace Smith sent a letter to Baca challenging him to a debate with Weiss.
"First, Trutanich refused to debate," Smith said. "Now he appears to have enlisted in the witness relocation program. Carmen has gone into hiding, and he's hiding behind surrogates rather than confronting the disqualifying details about his record of support for polluters and gun groups,
"Jack Weiss isn't afraid to debate anyone. If Carmen Trutanich doesn't have the courage to defend his deplorable record on polluters and guns, we will meet Sheriff Baca at high noon."
Too bad that we don't have an OK Corral anywhere in town.
***Smitgh later put out a release defending the commercial, along with a statement of support from the James Bradey campaign.

Thanks to U.S. taxpayers, the city of San Fernando could soon have a network of "virtual patrol" cameras around town helping police monitor for crime in busy areas. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

A Providence Holy Cross clinic in North Hollywood could help gang members get tattoos removed.

Glendale's Police Department could improve its ability to test DNA with a new crime laboratory.

All are projects sought in the San Fernando Valley congressional delegation's latest earmark requests - federally funded projects demanded by constituents but derided by critics as pork-barrel spending during a fiscal crisis.

In a visible reminder of the steep decline in new-car sales, thousands of vehicles bound for dealerships in Southern California and beyond are instead stacking up in vacant lots around the Port of Hueneme. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Storage space near the busy commercial port is filled to capacity with shiny new cars and trucks, and hundreds of BMWs are parked on the tarmac at nearby Camarillo Airport.

"Everyone is having the same issue. Sales are off and inventory is up," said Michael Wynn Song, senior vice president for Oxnard-based Global Auto Processing Service Inc., which handles vehicles made by General Motors, Hyundai, Kia and Saab.

Tipoffs: First there's the inauguration, then the decision on whether to run for governor _ and, then the fundraising.

The California Democratic Party didn't expect such troubles. Not with Barack Obama winning California in November by the biggest margin by a Democrat since FDR in 1936. Not with state Republicans turning on one another in a circular firing squad. Sacramento Bee.

But as thousands of party delegates and guests convene in Sacramento today for their annual state convention, the party is splintering over the state budget crisis, cuts in social services and a slate of special election ballot initiatives intended to resolve the fiscal mess.

The last time California had a special election, core Democratic constituencies flexed their power as union members from teachers to nurses and machinists to prison guards routed Republicans and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom each invited hundreds of their closest friends to a big party last night to promote his Democratic primary campaign for governor. The people, places and performances by each politician spoke volumes about the approach each candidate is taking. Here's the Calbuzz tale of the tape: Calbuzz

The Downside
This could shatter Los Angeles' self-image as one of the world's sunny, happy, carefree capitals of the good life.Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

Forbes, the business magazine famous for publishing lists - from attention-grabbing ("Most Powerful Celebrities") to arcane ("48 Asian Altruists") - came out this month with a roster of U.S. cities where it's "Hardest to Get By" financially.

No. 1 is Providence, R.I. No. 3 is Riverside. The top 10 includes Buffalo, Detroit and Louisville.

The upside
The Lakers are still the hottest ticket in town, but they may be the only show in L.A. that's recession-proof. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

And that's the silver lining in the bad economy for Angelenos, who can now find deeply discounted tickets at big-name theaters, shorter waits at top restaurants and great deals on meals and sporting events.

"The reality is that anything that's not a high-demand item like Laker playoff tickets, the prices are really flexible," says Barry Ruden, owner of Calabasas-based Barry's Tickets.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer on Saturday warned her Democratic supporters to prepare for a tough re-election campaign next year. Associated Press in the Daily News.

Boxer, announcing her bid for a fourth term during the California Democratic Party convention in Sacramento, told delegates to anticipate attacks by special interest groups.

Even though she easily won re-election in 1998 and 2004, Boxer has been a consistent target of Republicans because of her relatively liberal views. She attributed the animosity she generates from conservatives to being unafraid to stand up to anybody, including former Vice President Dick Cheney.

Two potential Democratic rivals for governor touted their money-management skills Saturday as they appealed to party delegates who worry that California's ongoing fiscal problems and recent tax increases could be a drag on the party next year. Associated Press in the Daily News.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom promoted his tenure as one marked by fiscal stability combined with bold ideas. He said San Francisco had implemented universal health care and pushed for clean-energy initiatives while maintaining relatively steady employment and a favorable rating with investors.

Promoting a record of fiscal responsibility will be key for whichever Democrat eventually wins next year's nomination. Never-ending state budget deficits and rising taxes amid a deep recession have provided ample ammunition to Republicans, who blame the Democratic majority in the Legislature for much of the state's fiscal problems.

Metrolink's board postponed a decision to bump up commuter train fares by 4.5 percent Friday, after officials agreed to dig through the system's budget to find ways to avoid the price hike. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Pointing to the nation's sputtering economy and rising unemployment, board members agreed these are tough times to burden passengers with the hikes, which were designed to generate $2.6 million to offset rising operational costs.

The decision returns to the board next month when Metrolink staff unveils alternatives to the fare increases, such as cutting train service and asking other transportation agencies from nearby counties to absorb some of the rising costs.

he First Bank of Beverly Hills - headquartered in Calabasas -- was closed by the state Friday and its assets were taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., which plans to refund deposits to the bank's customers. Daily News.

The state Department of Financial Institutions cited inadequate capital as the basis for the closure. As of April 15, the bank had total assets of about $1.2 billion and total deposits of about $848 million.

State officials said they ordered the bank to increase its capital reserves, but the bank was unable to do so.

The long-planned Newhall Ranch project has entered its next phase, with developers promising Friday to take a more environmentally sensitive approach as they build the 21,000-home mini-city between the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

Their commitment came as The Newhall Land and Farming Co. previewed federal and state environmental impact reports that laid out plans for dealing with traffic, air quality, conservation and other issues raised during the years-long process of getting the project approved. The 60-day public comment on the EIR opens Monday.

"This is a significant milestone," said Newhall Land spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer.

Newhall Ranch, the largest subdivision in Los Angeles County history, was approved by the Board of Supervisors in 2003, despite residents' concerns about traffic and the impact on the Santa Clara River, which runs through the project.

Patricia Ruffolo had taken a long, hot shower before filling her dog's water dish and heading out to visit her mom. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

But when she returned to her rental home last Saturday, at the dawn of the springtime hot spell, she found her water had been shut off -- the latest volley in a bitter and long-running property dispute with a neighbor.

"It's been hell -- (and) hot as hell, and un-American," said Ruffolo, 53, of Shadow Hills, who with her English pointer endured triple-digit temperatures this week under a dry spigot. "No one should go without water."

In festivities interspersed with tears and laughter, City Controller Laura Chick threw her own going-away party on Friday as she ended 16 years of elected office at Los Angeles City Hall.
Daily News.
"I can't walk far without making sure I have tissues," Chick said as a stream of city workers -- the staffers, mechanics and janitorial workers she has come to know on a first-name basis -- streamed into her office for cookies and coffee.

There was no formal goodbye from her fellow elected officials -- a decision Chick said seemed appropriate as she prepares on Monday to become inspector general overseeing federal stimulus money received by the state.

At 2:20 pm today, the California Democratic Party released a list of speakers at this weekend's convention in Sacramento with one big name glaringly absent: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Calbuzz
Exactly one hour and 32 minutes later, Villaraigosa's press office sent out a release announcing: "Mayor Villaraigosa today announced that he will convene emergency weekend meetings with union leaders to tackle the city's budget crisis.

Betting they can come up with the money later, Los Angeles County transportation officials Thursday approved plans to build the San Diego Freeway car-pool lane over the Sepulveda Pass even though they have just a fraction of the project's $1 billion price tag.Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Construction of the 10-mile northbound car-pool lane -- stretching along one of the nation's most congested sections of highway from the Santa Monica Freeway to the Ventura Freeway -- should begin this summer after years of planning.

The project, approved by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board, is expected to create some 18,000 construction jobs and be completed in 2013.

Far from the union halls where Los Angeles' new budget battle may ultimately be fought, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday chose a plush living room south of Ventura Boulevard to make his first public pitch for the shared-sacrifice approach to deficit-cutting.Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

A relaxed but serious Villaraigosa stood between an easel holding colorful charts and a coffee table bearing a big book called "Home Landscaping" and told about 20 neighborhood council leaders how he'll try to avoid pruning 2,800 jobs by asking city employees to give up some income.

"We have a budget deficit that's historical and unprecedented, and I believe there's a way out," the mayor declared.

A city proposal asking property owners to quadruple their payments to clean up stormwater pollution would avoid the usual two-thirds vote requirement by conducting the election entirely by mail. Daily News.

The proposal from the city Board of Public Works would ask the city's 788,620 property owners in a mail ballot to increase the amount they tax themselves from $23.04 a year per parcel to $47.16 a year next year and to $99 a month by 2014.

And, despite some complaints from city officials that it is being rushed, two City Council committees are scheduled to take up the plan today. A special joint meeting of the council's Budget and Finance and Energy and Environment committees are to consider taking the next step in the process -- allocating $450,000 for the ballots and setting a June 23 hearing on whether to have the election.

Countrywide, a company synonymous with mortgage loans for four decades before it was vilified for its role in the housing market collapse that plunged the nation into recession, will vanish from the business landscape on Monday. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

That's when the Calabasas-based mortgage operation will be rebranded as Bank of America, which bought the lender in January 2008 for $4 billion.

"At Countrywide, we're re-branding our stores this month so our customers will be looking at the Bank of America name across our entire mortgage operation," Joe L. Price, the company's chief financial officer, said during an conference call this week.

Embarking on a monumental task that some say is doomed to fail, Los Angeles Unified school officials are taking aim at state laws that make it virtually impossible to fire teachers. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Facing unprecedented layoffs, including 3,500 teachers with less than two year's experience, district officials and their allies say they need the power to cull bad teachers from the ranks or students will suffer in the classroom.

"It's about weeding out people who shouldn't be working with our kids," said Tamar Galatzan, a board of education member who represents part of the San Fernando Valley.

Torn between honoring the past and recognizing changes in the modern Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles City Council held a spirited debate on the name for the new police headquarters Wednesday before ultimately deciding to open the question to more public input.
Daily News.
At issue was whether to carry over the name of former Police Chief William H. Parker from the current police headquarters to the new $437 million structure a block away or name the building after someone else, such as former Mayor Tom Bradley.

To state Sen. Gil Cedillo, the endorsement of Judy Chu for Congress by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa doesn't mean much.

"Voters, not endorsements, are going to decide the winner of California's 32nd Congressional district," Cedillo's campaign said in a statement. "And voters in this district know and respect Gil Cedillo's record."

And, to prove their point, they released an endorsement from Supervisor Gloria Molina.

To which, we expect Chu to say: "Voters, not endorsments, are going to decide ..."

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi will drop his long-shot bid for governor today and instead announce his plan to run for Congress, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Garamendi has two scheduled events, in Concord and Fairfield, to announce his run.
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, the incumbent in the 10th Congressional District, has accepted a post in the Obama administration in the State Department. She still faces confirmation, but once she is confirmed her East Bay-based seat will be open in a special election

California's high school exit exam, which students must pass to receive a diploma, has caused graduation rates among low-performing female and minority students to plunge by more than 30 percent since it was introduced, according to a study released Tuesday. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

"We estimate that about 20,000 students who would have graduated before this policy was in place did not get diplomas and an overwhelming majority of them are minority students - that is something we should all be worried about," said Sean Reordan, associate professor of education at Stanford University and the author of the study.

The Stanford study compared graduation rates and test scores from similar 10th- and 11th-grade students in four large urban school districts - Long Beach, San Diego, San Francisco and Fresno - before and after the California Exit Exam was established as a requirement in 2005.

Shocked that 14 children died of abuse or neglect last year even after social workers had looked into their situations, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday called for a comprehensive investigation of the county's child welfare system. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The children, including ones in Glendale and other parts of the San Fernando Valley, were victims of beatings, drowning and starvation, according to officials at the Department of Children and Family Services and Inter-Agency Council on Child Abuse and Neglect.

A day after releasing a budget that calls for shared sacrifice, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa launched a campaign to rally support for a menu of employee concessions that are already proving unappetizing to city unions. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

While some unions are willing to consider salary cuts, the mayor's toughest opposition may come from the police union, which said Tuesday it would fight any reductions in salaries or benefits.

The mayor's plan calls for closing a $530 million budget deficit while sparing 2,800 city jobs

orget about planting 1 million trees in Los Angeles, Councilman Richard Alarcón says. Daily News.

Try cactuses instead.

As California enters the third year of a drought, Alarcón thinks the city's "Million Trees LA" campaign sends the wrong message.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is scheduled to visit a West Los Angeles architectural firm today, one after declaring his candidacy for the 2010 Democratic gubernatorial nomination. Daily News.

Newsom said he will mark Earth Day and discuss new approaches to the state's economy during his visit Wednesday to Marmol Radziner and Associates, where he will tour its design spaces and a prefabricated home and deliver a speech

The campaign of Judy Chu for Congress announced Tuesday that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will join other mayors from the district to endorse her over state Sen. Gill Cedillo.
Chu, a member of teh state Baored of Equalization, is in a close race with Cedllo, who was once a close ally of Villaraigosa. The two had a falling out four years ago when Cedillo endorsed former Mayor James Hahn.

Home foreclosures plunged 26 percent in the San Fernando Valley during March from a year ago, the first annual drop since they started escalating in mid-2006, a research center said Monday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The news was welcomed by Realtors, but California State University, Northridge researchers said foreclosures could pick up again on a recent surge in default notices and the worsening jobs picture.

"While foreclosures are down, we do not yet see them as out," said William Roberts, director of CSUN's San Fernando Valley Economic Research Center.

A $1 billion plan to widen the San Diego Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass is the latest victim of the state's financial crisis, with a $730 million shortfall threatening to delay - or even cancel - a car-pool lane that could ease commutes for San Fernando Valley motorists. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

The 10-mile car-pool lane project on the northbound 405 between the Santa Monica (10) and Ventura (101) freeways was supposed to begin in mid-May, largely paid for with bond revenue awarded two years ago. However, that money was temporarily rescinded in December as the Legislature struggled to close a $42 billion deficit.

Transportation officials are now scrambling to identify other sources of revenue to keep the project on schedule. Adding to the sense of urgency is the potential loss of $200 million in federal stimulus money if the project is delayed.

Mayor: Shared sacrifice needed

Saying Los Angeles is in its worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposed a 2009-10 budget that slashes spending and seeks concessions from unions to avoid 2,800 layoffs. Daily News

"The economy has translated into a $530 million deficit this year alone and could be $1 billion next year," Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. "Today, I am submitting a budget ... that represents a blueprint to save jobs, keep our pensions intact and protect the city in the long term.
\
County: More help for the needy
Los Angeles County officials said Monday the county's proposed $22.8 billion budget preserves critical services and is designed to help more people who have lost their jobs and homes. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Although the county faces a $300 million deficit, Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka said the budget includes funds to pay for a 25 percent increase in the number of people seeking the county's smallest welfarebenefit-$221-a-month General Relief checks. It also includes funds to provide 10,000 subsidized jobs in the public and private sectors.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Monday that Caliornia has received the most money under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
Nearly $13.5 billion has already been awarded to California to date, according to the Obama Administration, which is almost $4 billion more than the second-most awarded state, the gov ernor;s office announced.
"Gov. Schwarzenegger made it clear that he would do what it takes to bring as much Recovery Act funding as possible back to California to help our state through this difficult economic time," said Recovery Task Force Director Cynthia Bryant. "We will continue to scour every available pot of Recovery Act funding that can benefit California."
The federal government's tally of Recovery Act funding awarded by state can be found here: http://www.recovery.gov/.

Ellen Mackey circles the paradise of drought-tolerant plants edging her model eco-home and pauses before its electric meter, triumphant. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

Its wheel is turning backward - her 36 rooftop solar panels injecting juice back into the city's power grid.

"I use so little electricity the DWP tells me I'm one of their worst customers," said Mackey, 57, of Sun Valley. "If every L.A. homeowner set up solar ... we could severely limit our use of electricity, reduce fossil fuels, limit global warming and stop giving money to people who hate us."

Back on April 22, 1970, the ecologist had joined 20 million Americans in a grass-roots call for environmental action they named Earth Day. They were angry that acid rain fell in the East, rivers burned in the Midwest, and Los Angeles choked beneath a thick brown blanket of smog.

In the hyperbole of local politics, this is the year the Titanic hits the iceberg. Daily News.

After a year of constant adjustments to the $7.2 billion spending plan, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today is set to release his 2009-10 budget - one that is expected to require thousands of layoffs, cuts in nearly all departments and higher fees for residents.

Mayoral spokesman Matt Szabo said the budget will reflect the difficult choices facing policy makers.

"The mayor has said it: It is all about shared sacrifices," Szabo said.

Los Angeles is not alone, of course, in facing the need for those sacrifices. Many local governments and the state of California are bleeding red ink in the weak economy as they face lowered expectations for revenue and local jobs.

Members of the Screen Actors Guild will now have their say on a proposed new contract with the major Hollywood studios, after a majority of the union's national board voted on Sunday to accept a deal that is little changed from what the studios offered 10 months ago.New York Times in the Daily News.

In that time, members of the union's board have spent as much or more time fighting with one another for control of the negotiations process than in bargaining with the studios.

The proposed two-year contract is not retroactive to the expiration of the previous pact in June, so the actors have lost an estimated $65 million in compensation in the interim, according to the studios.

Four years ago Nancy Oda opened Maurice Sendak Elementary, taking the name of the famed children's author who penned "Where the Wild Things Are," a tale of a rebellious boy with a monstrous imagination.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Oda, Sendak's principal, saw the moniker as symbolic of the creative learning community she hoped to create at the new school. Test scores rose, parent involvement increased, teacher morale soared and Oda began to think her mission was complete.

Until last month, when the Los Angeles Unified School District warned of up to 8,500 layoffs of teachers and staff to cover a massive budget deficit. While the layoff plan approved by the school board last week managed to save nearly 2,000 teaching jobs, many elementary schools, like Sendak, are bracing for an uncertain future.

Tipoffs: Local officials planning big celebrations around new police heaquarters; race of City Attorney divides cops

The California Republican Party on Saturday voted to oppose all six ballot proposals in next month's special election, saying voters must reject higher taxes. Associated Press in the Daily News.

The vote by the party's executive committee followed a lively, hour-long debate that focused on Proposition 1A. The measure would create a state spending cap and bolster California's rainy day fund, two concepts Republicans have long promot

Law enforcement officials are vastly expanding their collection of DNA to include millions more people who have been arrested or detained but not yet convicted. The move, intended to help solve more crimes, is raising concerns about the privacy of petty offenders and people who are presumed innocent. New York Times in the Daily News.

Until now, the federal government genetically tracked only convicts. But starting this month, the FBI will join 15 states that collect DNA samples from those awaiting trial and will also collect DNA from immigrants who have been detained - the vanguard of a growing class of genetic registrants.

Overtime pay for the Los Angeles Fire Department soared 60 percent over the last decade while its ranks grew just 17 percent, but there is no real effort to rein in the expense despite the city's budget crisis, a Daily News analysis found. Jason Kandel in the Daily News.

Los Angeles firefighters now average six times more overtime than their counterparts in Chicago, five times more than in Houston and two times more than in San Diego - a city that has roughly the same ratio of firefighters-to-residents as Los Angeles.

An assistant principal at a North Hollywood charter school is one of four educators in California to win $25,000 and honors from the Milken Family Foundation. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Colfax Charter Elementary School's Dana Stephens will receive her award at a downtown ceremony Saturday.

Shannon Garrison, another Los Angeles Unified School District teacher, was also selected for a Milken National Educator Award. Garrison teaches at Solano Avenue Elementary School downtown.

Stephens has worked for 21 years at Colfax, which last fall converted from a traditional elementary school to a charter.

General Growth Properties, whose massive portfolio includes shopping malls in Northridge, West Hills, Burbank and Glendale, filed Thursday for bankruptcy protection in one of the biggest real estate failures in U.S. history. Gregory J Wilcox in the Daily News.

Filing for Chapter 11 protection in New York, the nation's second-biggest mall operator listed $29.5 billion in assets and $27.3 billion in debt.

The filing includes 129 shopping centers, including the Northridge Fashion Center, plus 11 office properties, one master planned community and six properties under development.

Disgruntled taxpayers across the country brewed their tax-day tea on the stove of outrage Wednesday and seasoned it with bitter lemon.Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

"Maybe some green lemons, not quite ripe," said Debi Devens, a 50-year-old housewife from La Crescenta who organized an anti-tax "tea party" in Glendale.

"These are about repealing the stimulus, lower taxes, smaller government. It's not about Democrats versus Republicans. We all must follow a budget, and that includes the government."

They're coming from such exotic locales as Bruges and Namibia, Colorado and Michigan to the joy - and consternation - of local film professionals. Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

The Association of Film Commissioners International holds its annual Locations Trade Show today through Saturday at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. Some 240 exhibitors from more than 30 countries will man displays, host receptions, network at seminars and generally try to persuade film and television producers to shoot in their municipalities, states, provinces or nations.

Many U.S. states will come armed with offers of tax breaks, rebates and grants -- the kind of economic incentives that a report released this week said are partially responsible for the lowest quarterly number of feature location shoots in the L.A. region since 1993.

As President Barack Obama makes his first official trip to Mexico, activists are intensifying the campaign for comprehensive immigration reform, an issue they fear has been overshadowed by the economic slump.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Reform leaders say they were relieved by recent reports that Obama, who will meet today with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, plans to speak publicly about the issue in May and will press lawmakers from both parties to begin discussing legislation by the fall.

"We know that good will and promises in this politically charged atmosphere are not going to be enough," said Juan Jose Gutierrez, spokesman for the Los Angeles-based Full Rights For Immigrants Coalition.

BURBANK -- Voters returned incumbents Dave Golonski and David Gordon to the Burbank City Council and elected newcomer Jess Talamantes in Tuesday's mail-in election. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.

And with their campaigns over, they said Wednesday that it's time to tackle the city's $7 million budget deficit.

"We have a lot of work to do but I am looking forward to it," said Golonski, 50, who was elected to his fifth term.

In what officials describe as an increasingly intractable problem, the number of alcohol-related arrests of Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department employees doubled from 2007 to 2008, according to an annual department review released Wednesday.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The number of deputies and other employees arrested in connection with public drunkenness, bar fights and alcohol-related domestic violence shot up from 33 in 2007 to 70 last year, according to the county's Office of Independent Review.

Meanwhile, the number of employees arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence increased from 29 to 36 in that time.

Home sales in Los Angeles County made another big gain in March while prices remained stable for the third consecutive month, a sign the market may have finally hit bottom, an industry tracker said Wednesday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The median house price settled at $300,000 in March, up $10,000 from February but still down 32 percent from a year earlier, said a report by MDA DataQuick.

The median price was also $300,000 in January, said DataQuick, which tracks new and previously sold houses and condominiums.

However, prices were well under last year's levels because of the lopsided sales mix - buyers are grabbing bargains while the higher-priced homes are getting little action, DataQuick said.

plan to charge Angelenos higher rates if they fail to conserve water this summer moved one step closer to passage Tuesday, winning unanimous support from a key City Council panel.
Daily News.
The Energy and Environment committee recommended a drought surcharge be imposed on those who fail to cut water use by 15 percent beginning June 1.

"We need to send a powerful message to our customers on the seriousness of the situation," DWP General Manager H. David Nahai said.

City Controller Laura Chick, who has battled City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo over her authority to audit his office, said Wednesday she is throwing her support to a city attorney candidate who would side with her position.Daily News.

Chick said she would back candidate Carmen Trutanich, though she stopped short of a formal endorsement because she is about to start working for Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as inspector general overseeing the spending of federal stimulus money.

Trutanich is running against City Councilman Jack Weiss for the post Delgadillo is leaving because of term limits.

Describing it as a medieval dungeon that can "drive men mad," the ACLU on Tuesday called on the county to close Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

An official with the civil rights group who has studied some of the nation's worst prisons for the past 16 years said for the "sheer horror and brutality" Men's Central Jail is the "most nightmarish place I've seen."

Worse even than the notorious Death Row at the Mississippi State Penitentiary or the Maricopa County Jail in Phoenix, she said.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a $1.1 million settlement of a lawsuit filed by three high-level managers in the Registrar-Recorder's Office who alleged they were forced out of their jobs for reporting unethical actions and misconduct. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The employees alleged they were subjected to discrimination and retaliation by former Registrar-Recorder Conny McCormack. They blew the whistle on a range of alleged misconduct from wrongful termination to race and age discrimination to attempted insurance fraud, they said in court documents.

The plaintiffs were Chief Deputy Kristin Heffron, Assistant Registrar-Recorder Alvarez Lecesne and his wife, Management Services Head Desnee Lecesne.

A divided Los Angeles Board of Education narrowly approved a plan Tuesday to lay off more than 6,500 temporary teachers, counselors and other district staff for the 2009-10 school year to help bridge a nearly $600 million budget gap.Connie Llanos and George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

The 4-3 vote came just hours after the board agreed to save the jobs of nearly 2,000 permanent elementary school teachers.

Superintendent Ramon Cortines, who recommended the plan, said he would continue to look for more money and savings to keep some of the jobs.

HARBOR CITY - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa painted a grim picture of the state of the city Tuesday in his annual address, renewing a call for shared sacrifice and saying there was an urgent need for Angelenos to work together to get through the rough economic times. Daily News.

Speaking to a crowd of 400 people at the BalqonElectric Truck Manufacturing Co., Villaraigosa said the financial crunch was throwing hundreds of thousands of city residents into unemployment lines and forcing many people to seek handouts and other aid for the first time in their lives.

He called on unions to make wage and benefit concessions or face up to 2,800 city layoffs.

Taxpayers angry about the federal government's multibillion-dollar bailout of financial institutions and other businesses plan to demonstrate today at City Hall as part of a national "tea party" protest. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Organized by the New American Tea Party, a nonpartisan coalition, the protests are aimed at sending Washington a message that banks, the car companies and others getting bailouts should have been left to fail.

"It's time for them to stop spending," said Debi Devens, a Glendale resident who spearheaded the local rally. "That's what got me involved in this."

The Los Angeles Police Commission is clashing with members of the City Council over the name of the new police headquarters that will replace Parker Center. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The civilian board that oversees the Police Department wants a plain name, like Police Administration Building. Members of the City Council, including former LAPD Chief Bernard Parks, hope to keep the name of former Chief William H. Parker.

os Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo filed fraud charges Tuesday against two companies, including one from Van Nuys, alleging predatory lending practices. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

He said that they are the first cases his office filed against firms that profited from misrepresenting loan products or programs - and they are unlikely to be the last.

Los Angeles Unified chief Ramon Cortines said Monday he could save the jobs of nearly 2,000 elementary school teachers who received layoff notices last month, but that the school district would still have to let go of some 6,850 employees to stay afloat. Connie Llanos and George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Announcing the jobs-saving plan on the eve of today's important school board decision on the future of thousands of workers, Cortines said the district needed to focus on elementary schools.

The plan would not benefit middle and high schools.

Feature film location shooting in Los Angeles in the first quarter of this year fell to its lowest level since tracking began, primarily due to attractive incentives offered elsewhere, a report issued Monday said. Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

There were just 903 permitted feature film production days logged from Jan. 1-March 31, according to FilmL.A., the non-profit organization that coordinates shooting permits for the city and county.

That was the lowest number since tracking started in 1993 and down drastically from the same period last year, which saw 2,065 production days.

The two candidates running to replace City Councilman Jack Weiss traded jabs and tried to cast themselves as honest, fiscal watchdogs in their first debate of the runoff race Monday night at the Sherman Oaks Elementary School auditorium. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

Candidates Paul Koretz and David Vahedi seemed to agree on some major issues, from digital billboards to budget fixes to allowing same-sex marriage. But Koretz, a former state assemblyman and West Hollywood city councilman, boasted his experience and political alliances as assets, while Vahedi, a neighborhood council leader, painted them as liabilities.

U,S. Sen. Baarbara Boxer reported on Monday that she has more than $4.6 million in her 2010 re-election campaign, with more than 30,000 indvidual donors.
The Boxer campaign will report $4,622,744 cash on hand, with contributions in the period of $887,483. The report covers contributions for the first quarter of 2009 that ended on March 31, the campaign announced.
More than 4,500 new donors gave to the 2010 campaign for the first time during this quarter. Ninety percent of donors to the Boxer campaign have given $100 or less.
"I am so excited about the early support I hae received from so many grassroots supporters," said Boxer. "It is inspiring to know I have so many people standing by me."
Boxer was first elected to the United States Senate in 1992 and is currently seeking election to her fourth term in the Senate.

Nearly 28 acres of restored habitat within Anthony C. Beilenson Park is expected to open to the public soon, but some residents remain concerned about how native wildlife and plants will be protected.Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The $4.5 million Bull Creek Ecosystem Restoration project began almost a year ago to revive the area along the Sepulveda Dam Flood Control Basin. The goal is to encourage 200 species of wild birds, including the American goldfinch, the ash-throated flycatcher and the Bullock's oriole, to nest and thrive in the area commonly known as Balboa Park.

TIPOFFS: Mayor set to give annual addres, with one question remaining; Controller-elect Wendy Greuel caught in legal bind.

The hope and renewal of Easter came early here Saturday afternoon in the emotional re-enactment of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection at the traditional service against the dramatic backdrop of the Vasquez Rocks formation.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Some 700 faithful weathered windy conditions under sunny skies to watch actors from several local churches perform the two-

millenniums-old biblical story that is the bedrock of Christianity. Many, like Colleen Reyes of North Hollywood, had tears in their eyes as Jesus was crucified on part of the historical rock formation that has been made famous by its use in films, television series and commercials.

No, Paul, you guys aren't naive. You're right on the money. Dennis McCarthy in the Daily News.

A lot of us talk about wanting to help our severely wounded veterans returning home to such an uncertain future, but that's all it usually is. Talk.

You guys are doing something. This 2,600-mile, four-month walk you're starting May 6 to raise funds for the nonprofit Homes For Our Troops is a great idea.

Like many Californians who put down roots in earthquake country, Robin Rudisill knows the "Big One" could strike without warning. Yet from her Venice beachfront duplex, Rudisill worries about a different massive blow from Mother Nature - a tsunami.Associated Press in the Daily News.

Her 1950s-era home - with its cool ocean breeze and golden sunsets - sits smack in the heart of a potentially deadly tsunami zone. If that big one ever came ashore, scientists say, it could raze the landscape from the sun-kissed beach to about a mile inland.

Laura Chick recalls well when she learned the difference between serving as a City Council member and as city controller. Daily News.

"When I was on the City Council and I'd be at an event, all the department heads would come up to me and tell me I was their favorite council member and asked if there was anything they could do for me," Chick said.

"When I became controller, all the same people would suddenly be on the other side of the room and never talk to me.

An attorney from Tarzana who fought to reduce the pay of Los Angeles County judges has now found himself at the mercy of one of those judges, who has jailed him for the last 38 days on contempt of court.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

As the case drags on, legal experts and local attorneys say they've never heard of a lawyer jailed for so long on a contempt of court charge.

And they are amazed that Superior Court Judge David P. Yaffe has ordered former taxpayer advocate attorney Richard I. Fine, a 69-year-old Tarzana resident, jailed indefinitely.

Arguing that the short-term pain of increased taxes is worth the long-term gain of permanent budget reform, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger picked up some major Los Angeles endorsements for a raft of ballot propositions designed to rescue state finances. Daily News.

"One of the most important things on issues is to get local political leaders, law enforcement leaders and business leaders to support us," Schwarzenegger said at a news conference staged at the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Sheriff Lee Baca and chamber President

- After 37 years in law enforcement, Glendale Police Chief Randy Adams is retiring.

Adams, 58, ushered the agency through a six-and-a-half year period that saw the triumphs of lowered crime levels and increased equipment for officers, and the tragedy of the Metrolink crash of 2005. Jerry Berrios in the Daily News.
During his tenure, the city also lost a $1.3 million judgment to a man whom a federal jury found police had wrongly jailed for a murder he did not commit.

Adams told city manager Jim Starbird about his potential retirement plans about three months ago and made it official in a letter this week.

ack in 2000, when Ramon Cortines was sitting in briefly as interim superintendent of Los Angeles Unified, he envisioned a plan to radically transform the nation's second-largest school district. George B. Sancez in the Daily News.

Its central office would be lean; decisions would be made on campus by teachers and principals; communities would play a key role in boosting neighborhood schools; the district would blossom.

Then, over the next eight years, the exact opposite occurred.

Teaching was increasingly directed by bureaucrats miles away from classrooms; central office staff ballooned as student enrollment dropped; and only one in four students who graduated were eligible to attend a University of California campus.

Reports earlier this week suggested Screen Actors Guild negotiators and heads of major media corporations may have achieved a back-channel break in long-stalled contract negotiations.Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

But it didn't sound that way Thursday outside the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers' Sherman Oaks headquarters, where 60 picketing actors gathered for what has become a weekly rant against producers and more moderate SAG members.

"I went to a board meeting the other night because there were articles in papers that some deal was almost struck, that they were closer to a tentative deal," says former "Who's the Boss?" star Tony Danza. "So I go to the meeting, and nobody knows anything about it."

Los Angeles County residents are less likely to die of lung cancer, suicide or car crashes than residents of most other California counties - but more likely to die from heart disease and diabetes, according to a state health report released Thursday.Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The annual report compiled by the state Department of Public Health and the California Conference of Local Health Officers, offers a mixed picture of Los Angeles County's health between 2005 to 2007.

The county ranked among the 10 best in prenatal care, preventing death from lung cancer and fewest fatal car accidents per person. Some health experts attributed those results to public policy decisions like public smoking bans and better compliance with seat-belt and child-seat laws.

Los Angeles Councilman Jack Weiss picked up some endorsements from a number of Los Angeles police organizations in his race for City Attorney against private attorney Carmen Trutanich..
Weiss picked up the support of the LAPD Command Officers Association, Women's Police Officers, Oscar Joel Bryant Foundation, La Ley and the General Services Police Officers Association at a City Hall news conference.
"The job of the City Attorney is to keep our neighborhoods and families safe," Weiss said.
"From my service as a federal prosecutor, to the last eight years on the City Council, I have fought crime and proudly stood up for tough laws to stop gang and guns. If given the privilege to serve as Los Angeles City Attorney, I will continue the fight side by side with police officers to
keep our City safe."

The Courage Campaign announced Thursday it is sponsoring a "Meet in the Midle for Equality," devoted to fighting for same sex marriages.
It will be held on the first Saturday after the state Supreme Court hears arguments on Propostion 8, the measure tht bans gay marriages in California.
"Meet in the Middle is an opportunity to help break down the closet doors that confine too many of our LGBT brothers and sisters across the state," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said in a statement.
"We are sending a message that civil rights have no borders, that equality is not confined to Los Angeles and San Francisco, and that every Californian -- whether you live in Fresno or the Castro -- deserves the freedom to marry."
The Courage Campaign said the goal of the program is to "support the communities of middle America in the struggle for marriage and LGBT equality."
Events will be held throughout the state.

Glendale residents voted in three new faces and retained several familiar ones in five races in the city's at-large election Tuesday. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

They also approved an expansion of the utility users' tax.

About 23 percent of the city's 99,000 registered voters headed to the polls and faced the crowded slate of candidates running for seats for the City Council, Glendale Unified School District and Glendale Community College District.

Local races historically see thin crowds at the polls, but voter turnout in Glendale fared better than analysts expected.

The recession is driving an exodus of apartment dwellers, forcing landlords to make concessions and driving down rents in the San Fernando Valley, said a USC study released Wednesday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

In last year's fourth quarter, the average rent for a Valley apartment fell nearly 4 percent and the occupancy rate fell 4.4 percent, said the Casden Multifamily Market Report from the university's Lusk Center.

Across Los Angeles County last year, 41,000 people moved out of apartments - as opposed to the 29,000 who moved in over the past five years, the report said.

Drawing outrage from local residents and activists, a city panel Wednesday recommended increasing the speed limits on four busy San Fernando Valley roadways, including one near California State University, Northridge, that has seen an uptick in pedestrian accidents. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Speeds could eventually increase by 5 mph on two sections of Zelzah Avenue, which runs by CSUN and several local public schools, where in the past seven months there have been seven pedestrians struck by cars, including two fatally.

The region around the campus saw 88 car accidents involving pedestrians in 2007, a 21 percent increase from 2005.

Los Angeles County workers sold real estate documents for cash, stole property tax payments and took money for work they never did, according to a report released Wednesday. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

These and other cases of fraud and misconduct were detailed in a new Fraud Hotline report.

The number of allegations of fraud by county workers has steadily increased in recent years, rising from 546 in 2006-07 to 772 in 2007-08. About 900 are expected this fiscal year and 1,000 in 2009-10, according to county budget documents.

An angry Los Angeles City Council rejected a proposal Wednesday to impose a drought surcharge on residents, saying they resented being forced to face a last-minute deadline to adopt the plan. Daily News.

The council brushed aside pleas from Department of Water and Power officials who said the surcharge is needed to reduce water consumption as the city and state face the third year of a drought.

n a move that some believe signals trouble is brewing at the Port of Los Angeles, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has asked former state Assemblyman Wally Knox to come onboard to help guide the port as the department juggles dozens of major initiatives with plummeting cargo revenues.
Donna Littlejohn in the Daily Breeze.
Knox, 62, announced Tuesday that he was stepping down from his 21-month stint as a member of the city's Department of Water and Power Commission.

A new position - deputy executive director of external relations - is being created for him at the port, where he will report to Executive Director Geraldine Knatz, 57. He is set to begin work later this week

Just when Los Angeles Unified officials need their advice the most, the men and women who help the district secure funding from Sacramento and Washington, D.C., are being laid off to cut costs. Connie Llanos ni the Daily News.

LAUSD's Government Relations Office - staffers with expert knowledge on government funding for schools - is being cut to three people from 11.

The office has been busy reading through federal documents ensuring that district staff understands how much federal stimulus money they should be receiving, how they can properly distribute it, and how they can compete for future pots of cash.

- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stumped on Tuesday for his package of budget measures in the May 19 special election, calling them the last best hope for significant budget reform.Daily News.

"If they don't pass, we will be facing a $50 billion problem," Schwarzenegger said in a meeting with Daily News editors and reporters. "It will mean massive cuts in education, hospitals, prisons. These are things people don't want to see cut."

Schwarzenegger is heading the campaign for Propositions 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E and 1F as his campaign commmittee, Budget Reform Now, began its statewide advertising campaign leading up to the election.

Despite repeated delays in the $3 billion Grand Avenue project, the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 3-0 to approve a schematic design for a $56 million park between City Hall and the Music Center.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The vote, one in a series since a joint powers authority was created in 2003 to oversee the massive project, also authorizes county officials to relocate or remove plaques, monuments and artwork currently located in the County Mall for construction of the park.

"We want to create a garden area in downtown Los Angeles," Supervisor Gloria Molina said. "People will have a broad range of opportunities to take a walk, sit by the water and attend a performance. Unfortunately, this space has not been used throughout the decades as it could be."

Los Angeles received a warning notice on Tuesday that its cost of borrowing could rise unless it begins to rein in spending and develop a rainy day fund in this year's budget. Daiily News.

Councilman Bernard Parks, chairman of the council's Budget and Finance Committee, released a report from the Fitch Ratings service saying the city's rating outlook has been revised from strong to negative as it prepares to borrow more money from its Municipal Improvement Corporation of Los Angeles.

"So far, we are still at the same rating level of AA-," Parks said. "But if it drops, then we are looking at having to pay a lot more money in interest in the future.

When Hollywood execs get together to bemoan the roughly $20 billion a year they lose through international movie piracy, they tend to round up the usual suspects: countries like China, Russia and India. Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

But a hearing Monday sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, flushed out a new villain in the costly international piracy trade: Canada.

In fact, the two-hour-plus hearing flowed on a decidedly Blame Canada undercurrent.

"We expect China to act like a potential enemy and adversary of the United States," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach. "We don't expect that from Canada. It's so disturbing to know that Canada's becoming the transshipment depot for counterfeited goods from China."

Los Angeles Schools chief Ramon Cortines will meet throughout the week with school union leaders in an attempt to avert thousands of proposed layoffs. George B. Sanchez in the Daily News.

Union officials were asked Friday if district employees would consider furlough days, pay cuts, fewer work days in the year and freezing annual pay increases.

Los Angeles Unified School District staff and union officials have until next Tuesday to find alternatives for the 8,500 proposed layoffs.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa asked city unions Monday to "share the sacrifice" felt by private sector workers and accept pay and benefit cuts as a way to save 2,800 jobs now on the chopping block. Daily News.

Villaraigosa said the city's projected shortfall for next year has grown to $530 million - an amount that can be covered only through employee concessions, service cuts and another round of fee increases.

"There has never been a time like this," Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. "The key to use getting through this is shared sacrifice."

g the first step in a nationwide effort to count every American, more than 500 newly hired workers for the U.S Census Bureau staged a downtown rally on Monday to alert people they will be walking through their neighborhoods to check addresses. Daily News.

But don't worry, door-knocking will be kept to a minimum.

The Los Angeles Police Department has reduced a 10-year backlog of DNA rape kits that need to be examined to 4,423 from more than 55,000, a top official said Monday. Daily News.

Of the remaining rape kits, officials have set aside 402 of them for high priority treatment because they involve assaults by unknown individuals who may still be on the loose.

Deputy Chief Charles Beck of the Detective Bureau told the City Council's Public Safety Committee that he had 50 detectives working 1,000 hours to examine more than 55,000 kits. They narrowed down the number by eliminating kits from cases that had been resolved, where the suspect was already known and where there were duplicate evidence kits.

Rene Avelar leads troubled kids from the Northeast Valley across the expanse of Burbank's Pacific Park to a chain-link fence. Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

On their side is a grassy park free of graffiti and street gangs.

On the other side: a cemetery.

"Which side do you want to be on?" Avelar asks.

Tipoffs: It's city budget time and mayor prepares for State of the City.

I was down in Los Angeles recently talking with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Apparently there was a statewide poll of Democratic voters taken when I was in Paris that showed only a four-point difference between Villaraigosa and Attorney General Jerry Brown - at least that's what Villaraigosa told me. Willie Brown in SF Chronicle

The poll also showed that Latinos are ready to back him the way blacks backed Obama. That means he can pretty much bank on them and concentrate on whites and other minorities.

Villaraigosa also said the poll showed an incredible absence of name recognition for Brown among new and younger voters. The memory bank isn't there.

That's good news for both Villaraigosa and Gavin Newsom.

It also explains why Newsom is banking so much on Facebook and Twitter to get attention.

This tax season, many Los Angeles residents with home-based businesses received letters from the city that hit them right where they live and had frightening implications. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

The key line in the letters from the Office of Finance reads: "The following amounts are due and payable immediately: $4,363.81."

Imagine getting that tax bill - for freelance income that might have totaled only a few hundred dollars.

The letters, sent in March, were follow-ups to people who have worked as independent contractors but missed a Feb. 28 deadline for registering their businesses with the city's tax and permit division.

The first runoff debate between Los Angeles city attorney candidates Jack Weiss and Carmen Trutanich on Saturday erupted into intensified attacks by each on their personal records and integrity. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

The war of words between the two men before the Los Angeles Neighborhood Council Coalition carried over to heated exchanges among their supporters that led to a momentary halt of the debate by the moderator.

Both Weiss, a city councilman, and Trutanich, a former deputy district attorney, sought to paint the other as catering to well-heeled special interests that are bankrolling their respective campaigns.

aybe it was the recession. Or its pie-shaped niche in a corner of Los Angeles. Or that it never really connected with the San Fernando Valley. Daily News.

Whatever the cause of the failure of the Children's Museum of Los Angeles, taxpayers will likely inherit the $52 million white elephant -- minus exhibits.

A day after officials announced pending bankruptcy for the Lake View Terrace museum, city officials Friday scrambled to secure the 57,000-square-foot facility near Hansen Dam.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger named Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick on Friday as inspector general, overseeing the billions of dollars in federal stimulus money bound for the state.
Daily News.
The governor will make the announcement at a 3 p.m. press conference that he's naming the former city councilwoman to the $135,000-a-year job.

Chick has built a reputation as a tough, no-nonsense auditor of city programs and was the first to report problems in contracting at the Department of Water and Power that led to the pay-to-play investigations of the administration of former Mayor James Hahn.

The Los Angeles Police Protective League announced Fridat it is endorsing attorney Carmen "Nuch" Trutanich for Los Angeles City Attorney over Councilman Jack Weiss in their May 19 runoff.
"Mr. Trutanich has the ideal mix of qualifications Los Angeles needs in its city attorney," League president Paul Weber said in a statement. "As a former gang prosecutor in the district attorney's office, Mr. Trutanich has worked with LAPD officers and knows what it takes to win criminal cases. He has the respect of the rank-and-file officers as well as the endorsements of District Attorney Steve Cooley and Sheriff Lee Baca. Our officers look forward to working with him again as city attorney."
The Protective League had sat out the primary election.

Koretz gets firefighters backing
Former Assemblyman Paul Koretz has won the endorsement of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City in his May 19 runoff with neighborhood council leader David Vahedi.
UFLAC President Pat McOsker called Koreta "an experienced
fighter for public safety."
UFLAC represents 3,600 firefighters and emergency medical personnel/
Koretz said he was honored by the endorsement.

***LAPPL endorsement
The Los Angeles Police Protective League announced Friday it also is endorsingi Koretz.
"Paul's dedication to the community is second to none," the League said in a statement. "He is a true community activist committed to public service and his tremendous contributions to the community make him the best candidate for the City Council."

Vahedi opens Westside headquarters
Vahedi is opening his West Los Angeles headquarters at 11 a.m. on Sunday, with a public event for supporters. The headquarters is at 10714 Santa Monica Blvd.

VAN NUYS - It's a comedy show. It's a fashion show. It's "Best in Show." Kevin Modesti in the Daily News,

Sure, there's serious business on the agenda when the Los Angeles City Council pays its monthly visit to the San Fernando Valley. The next such council meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. Friday at Van Nuys City Hall.

But the meetings' free-entertainment appeal is surprisingly high - and you don't have to be one of those local political junkies who actually can name their council representatives.

The state Realtors group launched a $1 million mortgage protection plan on Thursday to help first-time buyers if they lose their jobs.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The California Association of Realtors will use the money to buy insurance policies that first-time buyers can apply for when they enter escrow.

If the buyer eventually loses his or her job, the policy will provide $1,500 a month in mortgage payment assistance for a maximum of six months. If there is a co-buyer involved, the benefit is increased by $750.

Coverage for accidental disability and a $10,000 death benefit are also included.

The election is more than six weeks away, but the war of words between L.A. city attorney candidates Jack Weiss and Carmen Trutanich heated up Thursday.Daily News wire services.

An advocate who has lobbied the Los Angeles City Council to process thousands of untested rape kits wrote to the Trutanich campaign today demanding an apology for a recorded phone message to voters during the primary season, which she says challenged her integrity.

Jeri Elster, who was raped in her home in 1992, appeared in a Weiss campaign commercial before the March 3 primary and in the spot, said Weiss was the only member of the Los Angeles City Council who listened to her concerns on the backlog of rape kits.

A decade-long plan to build a Children's Museum in the San Fernando Valley imploded Thursday - a victim of the recession, weak public support and funding problems - as officials for the facility announced they will file for bankruptcy. Daily News.

The board of directors has accepted the recommendation of its attorneys to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy - liquidation - conceding the impossibility of raising enough money to repay the loans and operate the museum.

"It's just tragic to see all this end," said Executive Director Cecilia Aguilera Glassman, who was hired two years ago to raise money for the $52 million, 57,000-square foot facility planned for the Hansen Dam Recreation Area.

Even with winter storms bringing the state's snowpack water level up to 81 percent of normal, state and local officials warned Thursday that drought conditions are continuing and Los Angeles residents will have to pay more for water this year. Daily News.

The state Department of Water Resources' fourth snow survey of the winter season showed the state will continue to have water supply problems after two drought years.

"A below-average snowpack at this time of year, especially after two consecutive dry years, is a cause for concern," DWR Director Lester Snow said. "Our most critical storage reservoirs remain low and we face severe water supply problems in many parts of our state."

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's office announced Thursday they will make state government more transparent with a new website, www.reportingtransparency.gov to make available the Statement of Economic Interests, Form 700, and the Travel Expense claims for the offices of the governor, senior staff, agency secretaries and department directors.
"Since taking office I have taken steps to make government more accountable and responsive to the people," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "By making the economic, gift and travel information of the senior members of my administration easily available online, we are taking unprecedented steps to open up our government to the people - yet another critical step toward more government transparency."
Additionally, travel expense claims and Form 700s from the Governor's Office senior staff and deputies are now posted on the Governor's Office Web site at http://gov.ca.gov

After more than a year-long court battle, a Los Angeles Police Department rule takes effect this week that forces new officers in the gang and narcotics units to turn over detailed personal financial information.Brandon Lowrey in the Daily News.

The police union, which unsuccessfully sued to block the new rule, has predicted it would lead to mass resignations and transfers out of those units.

But the rule will not affect current members of those units until 2011, meaning its true impact may not be known for years.

Public schools serving low-income students could receive federal money to retain educators who face layoffs - an option that might not be available to many campuses serving their well-to-do peers.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Under a plan being developed by Los Angeles Unified officials, all schools in the district are being encouraged to use federal money to in effect "buy back" some teachers and staff if threatened layoffs go through.

But because federal mandates require dollars to go to schools with largely low-income children, dozens of schools in the San Fernando Valley will not receive enough money to buy back even one teacher.

Believe it or not, actors and producers have agreed on a labor contract. Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

It's not the one Hollywood's been awaiting for nearly a year - but at least it proves it can be done.

Early Wednesday, a negotiating committee representing the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists unanimously agreed on a tentative three-year contract with the American Association of Advertising Agencies and the Association of National Advertisers.

One year before the 2010 census will be taken nationwide, Los Angeles city leaders Wednesday urged Angelenos to accurately report their information in order to maximize representation and federal funding for the next decade. Daily News.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, joined by council members, Earvin "Magic" Johnson and Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, said the 2000 Census undercounted the city's population by about 78,000 people. The miscalculation caused the city to miss out on $200 million in federal funding, they said.

The personnel director at Los Angeles World Airports told employees Tuesday to prepare for short-term furloughs as the city seeks to close a massive budget shortfall. Gene Maddaus ijn the Daily Breeze.

In a memo, Paula Adams advised that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's office is contemplating furloughs for all city employees, including city- owned departments such as LAWA, the Port of Los Angeles, and the Department of Water and Power.

Major business expansions declined 13 percent in Southern California last year as the economy sank deeper into recession, according a report released today.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

The region encompassing Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties saw 176 major expansions, compared with 203 the prior year, said the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

The nonprofit agency characterizes a "major" expansion as a new or expanded lease of at least $1 million in value or for 20,000 square feet or more of space.

Moviegoers pushed worldwide grosses to a record $28.1 billion in 2008, up 5.2 percent from the previous year, according to statistics released Tuesday by the Motion Picture Association of America. Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

In addition, MPAA Chairman and CEO Dan Glickman told exhibitors at the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas that domestic box office for the first 10 weeks of 2009 is ahead of last year's sales by a whopping 11 percent.

"When folks talk about how well the box office is doing, it's nothing to apologize for," Glickman told those gathered for the annual convention sponsored by the National Association of Theatre Owners.

Saying Los Angeles County has the nation's largest known rape-kit backlog, a human rights organization Tuesday called on local police to test a backlog of more than 12,000 samples. Troy Anderson in the Daiy News.

In a 68-page report, officials from Human Rights Watch said their analysis of data from the Los Angeles Police Department, Sheriff's Department and 47 other police departments revealed the backlog of untested rape kits in the county is more widespread than previously believed.

Even as Los Angeles looks at the prospect of bringing in $280 million to $1 billion in federal stimulus funds, some officials warned Tuesday that the city still needs to reduce its pension costs and should not use the money to hire new workers. Daiiy News.

Speaking to a new subcommittee created to review federal stimulus spending, Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller warned the new budget being completed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will reduce the size of the city's work force.