August 2009 Archives

Over the past dozen years, Hewlett-Packard has sold hundreds of millions of dollars worth of printers and other products to Iran through a Middle East distributor, sidestepping a U.S. ban on trade with the country.Mike Zapler in the Mercury News.

Now the person who headed HP for much of that time, Carly Fiorina, is ramping up to run for U.S. Senate. And questions are emerging about what Fiorina knew about HP's growing presence in Iran during her six-year tenure at the Silicon Valley firm from 1999 to 2005.

Kelly O'Brien has searched for a home for six long months, but on Sunday the North Hollywood woman snapped up a brand new one in a mere 40 seconds. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

O'Brien and 10 jubilant others outbid 200 hopefuls in an auction of 11 single-family houses in a new North Hollywood development called Oxnard Gardens.

"I'm in shock," said O'Brien, 39, after signing her contract. "I didn't think in a million years that I would get it."

Tipoffs: Former Commission President Nick Patsaouras pushes rate payer advocate, ceiling on rate hikes.

Los Angeles Unified may have opened its gates for independent operators to run up to a third of its campuses, but the key players - including the influential teachers union - do not anticipate a bitter power grab to take over public schools.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

The controversial Schools Choice initiative prompted much talk of winners and losers leading up to the school board's near unanimous approval of the measure last week.

Charters and nonprofit groups celebrated the chance for more access to resources, while labor leaders said the plan would set the nation's second-largest school district on a path toward privatization.

Dozens of workers diagnosed with cancer after their employment at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory may have more leverage in claiming federal compensation to help with their health care.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health first granted a special designation earlier this month for those assigned to the field lab's 270-acre Area IV, where much of the nuclear work was conducted. The designation applies to those who were exposed to radiation for at least 250 days, between Jan. 1, 1955 and Dec, 31, 1958.

The San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission will be shut down in three weeks unless it obtains required permits and cleans up filthy and unsanitary conditions, county health officials say.Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

The North Hollywood shelter -- which feeds up to 200 transients each day and provides beds for up to 60 adults and children each night -- has been given until Sept. 17 to get operating and health permits. It also must resolve 15 "deficiencies" that include soiled facilities and cockroaches.

"If they can't give us a certificate of occupancy by the (city) Department of Building and Safety, and a clearance from the Fire Department, we'll have to shut them down," said Angelo Bellomo, director of the Department of Public Health's Environmental

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced a major shake-up of his administration on Thursday, bringing in a new chief of staff and a top deputy to revitalize his political agenda during his second term.Daily News.

With a broad agenda covering public safety, transportation, education, jobs and the environment, Villaraigosa said his chief of staff Robin Kramer would be replaced by gang czar Jeff Carr.

Superintendent Ramon Cortines thanked more than 1,000 Los Angeles Unified administrators Wednesday for their hard work during a tough period but asked them to embrace reform as they look forward to a new year that could bring even tougher challenges.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

"I could ask you to do more with less," Cortines said. "But I'm not going to do that ... I want you to do things differently."

Cortines gathered with principals, assistant principals and local district superintendents just hours after the Los Angeles School Board approved a plan allowing charter school operators and other outside groups to compete for 50 newly built schools in the district and more than 200 chronically underachieving campuses.

Dampening upbeat news on Angelenos' efforts to conserve water and energy, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had to concede Wednesday that he's been violating the city's tough watering restrictions at his Getty House mansion.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

At a City Hall news conference, Villaraigosa told reporters a "glitch" in his irrigation system caused sprinklers to run on nights other than Mondays or Thursdays, which is prohibited under regulations imposed earlier this year.

"There was a glitch in a system that was installed about two years ago," Villaraigosa said. "It's a smart irrigation system, one of the most advanced systems anywhere. But, yes, there was a glitch and apparently it was running in the evening."

The Los Angeles Board of Education approved a plan Tuesday that would allow outside groups to run up to a third of all district campuses, including 50 new multimillion dollar campuses coming on line and more than 200 underperforming schools. Conniei Llanos in the Daily News.

Facing a sharply divided crowd of hundreds of parents, teachers and school workers, the school board held a lengthy and at times heated debate before voting 6 to 1 to approve the proposal that takes effect in fall of 2010.

To the candidates in the Sept. 22 election for the City Council's 2nd District seat, it is an us-against-them campaign.Daily News.

The us are the group of seven self-styled grass-roots candidates looking to fill out the nearly two years remaining on the term of Wendy Greuel, following her election as city controller.

They describe their opponents as the "two carpetbaggers" and "that school board member."

It seemed that Quion and Keyana Williams spent every weekend for nine months hunting for their first home. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

They searched online. They attended open houses. They submitted offers. They eventually started house-hunting during the week because the competition from other prospective buyers was so stiff.

Finally - finally - they got the house of their dreams.

"We looked at more than 100 houses. I was outbid on 20," said Quion Williams. "It was pretty frustrating, but it paid off. I love my home."

Karen Brewster of Sherman Oaks wants to tell her congressman in person how strongly she dislikes President Obama's health care proposal. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

The problem is, Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, hasn't held a town hall meeting on the issue.

"I want to go to a town hall and tell my congressman what I think," Brewster said.

"There are no words to describe how opposed I am," she added. "I don't want any government control of my health care."

Moving the "subway to the sea" concept one step closer to reality, local officials Thursday announced the completion of exploratory drillings at 70 locations in the Westside, where proponents envision miles of underground tunnels linking downtown to Santa Monica.

The drillings, critical to determine whether the soil makeup and methane gas content are safe enough to allow for a full-scale tunneling project, come nearly two years after Congress lifted a 21-year ban on tunneling under Wilshire Boulevard.

The ban was triggered by an underground explosion in the Fairfax area during construction of the Red Line in the 1980s.

A former president who led the makeover of Valley College has been named interim chancellor of the sprawling Los Angeles Community College District. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

Tyree Wieder, who retired last summer after 14 years as president of the Valley Glen campus, was appointed Wednesday to succeed Chancellor Marshall "Mark" Drummond. He resigned under pressure last month.

"It's terrific to have Dr. Wieder back with us," Mona Field, president of the district's Board of Trustees, said in a statement. "She will provide strong leadership while we conduct a nationwide search for a permanent chancellor."

The LAPD's Web site boasts a force of more than 10,000 officers -- the magic number sought by Chief William Bratton, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others who say the agency has long been understaffed. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

In reality, LAPD brass admits the force is somewhere south of that milestone -- despite massive recruiting efforts and a dire job market that has prompted a record number of applicants.

The discrepancy, officials say, is that more seasoned officers are retiring or leaving for other reasons -- an average of 40 a month -- than are being sworn in.

The median price of a San Fernando Valley home hit $400,000 in July - an 8 percent drop from a year earlier and the smallest slide in 19 months, a real-estate trade association said Thursday. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Increasing sales and tightening inventory were credited with keeping the price from falling farther from the $435,000 median recorded in July 2008. And it's the first single-digit drop since a 6 percent decline in November 2007, when the median price fell to $557,500 from $595,000 a year earlier, according to the Southland Regional Association of Realtors.

Let me start with a question: what do Tamar Galatzan and Zuma Dogg have in common? Village to Village blog

Answer: the grassroots candidates owe them their thanks for being in the race.

Think of CD2 as a pie to be divided among ten hungry candidates. The primary objective is to receive a slice larger than half the entire size. With ten hungry mouths to feed, that will be almost impossible.

Things got testy tonight at the candidate forum sponsored by the homeowner associations of Valley Glen, Valley Village and Laurel Grove. The barbs were not only exchanged among the ten candidates, but Wendy Greuel and her former planning deputy Dale Thrush absorbed as much punishment as anyone -and they were not even there! Village to Village blog

Home sales in Los Angeles County and the rest of Southern California hit a three-year high in July and prices continued to firm up as buyers turned their focus to more expensive properties, a market tracker said Tuesday.Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Sales in Los Angeles County totaled 8,082 in July, up 23 percent from 6,592 transactions a year earlier and up 6 percent from 7,636 in June.

The last needy patients to land a spot in a massive free medical clinic lined up before dawn Tuesday outside The Forum, grateful for a place in line, and eager for an aching tooth or two to be pulled, or a new pair of bifocals to be made. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Tuesday marked the last of an eight-day stretch of free medical, dental and vision care in Los Angeles, where the parking lot at The Forum had been transformed into one of the largest waiting rooms in the nation.

Eager to restore inpatient medical care to one of the poorest areas of Los Angeles, county leaders unanimously approved a much-anticipated deal Tuesday to partner with the University of California system to reopen Martin Luther King Jr.-Harbor Hospital in Willowbrook.Melissa Evans in the Daily News.

Hundreds of community members, politicians, union leaders and health care advocates applauded as the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took a critical step in the process, agreeing to spend millions to upgrade the facility and provide start-up costs.

Despite struggling with budget cuts, labor strife and demands for education reform, Los Angeles Unified made steady gains in academic performance this year, according to statewide test results released Tuesday. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

While LAUSD scores still fell below the state average, its students improved at nearly every grade level and on every subject of the California Standardized Testing and Reporting program.

A model school
State and local educators on Tuesday lauded Holmes Middle School as an example of everything that is being done right at public schools in California. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Already designated a California Distinguished School, Holmes was hand-picked by state schools chief Jack O'Connell and Los Angeles Unified Superintendent Ramon Cortines as the site for their announcement of results for the California Standardized Testing and Reporting program.

Tipoffs: Six weeks into his term and Trutanich rarely seen.

At a time when government agencies are cutting back on law enforcement, health care for children and services for the poor, the number of public servants collecting $100,000-plus pensions - including one raking in nearly $500,000 a year - has exploded in recent years, in some cases tripling or even increasing sevenfold. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

In Los Angeles County, the number of retired county employees receiving pensions of $100,000 or more has nearly tripled from 1,198 in 2004 to 3,096 today, the Daily News has learned through a series of Public Records Act requests.

Throughout California, the number of retired state workers collecting $100,000-plus pensions has mushroomed more than sixfold from 816 in 2004 to 5,115 now.

Dozens of firefighters, joined by friends and relatives, knocked on doors on the tree-lined streets of Chatsworth on Saturday, urging residents to complain to their council members about budget cuts to the Fire Department.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

The Chatsworth community has become key in the firefighters' battle against the rolling service "brownouts" that took effect earlier this month as a result of citywide budget cuts.

In a controversial mailer sent to 100,000 registered voters citywide, firefighters used images of the Metrolink crash that shook the Chatsworth community last year to highlight how cuts could affect a neighborhood during a disaster.

The car charged up behind Esha Momeni, at what seemed like 100 mph, before cutting her off and planting itself in front of her vehicle.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Her body froze as an armed man jumped into her passenger seat. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted two other men waiting outside.

She tried to run, to yell, but there was nowhere to go and no one to hear her on the lonely road. She assumed the men were planning to rob her.

Where the money comews from. Village to Village.

Escalating the dispute over the Los Angeles Fire Department budget, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday called the firefighters' union leadership "irresponsible" for trying to scare the public into thinking lives are in danger because of rotating service cuts. Daily News.

The mayor said he was upset with the orange signs that members of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City were posting near fire stations that warn the public "You and your family are in danger" and that the mayor and City Hall "are gambling with your lives."

With the Los Angeles Police Department about to enter a new era, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday nominated a former U.S. attorney to serve on the Police Commission and help choose the next chief.Daiily News.

Debra Wong Yang, 49, who served as the nation's first Asian-American U.S. attorney from 2002-07, was nominated to fill the vacancy left by Anthony Pacheco, who stepped down because of personal considerations.

Following up on the press release from the campaign of Assesmblyman Paul Krekorian and his boasts of fundraising, the campaign of businesswoman Christine Essel counters that she now has raised $198,299 for the Sept. 22 electin.
And, the campaign also divulged some of their campaign plans, saying it plans to put $45,000 into a media buy.

Even though no official reports are online at the city Ethics Commission, Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank, said on Thursday his campaign for City Council has raised $95,091, to make him competitive with business executive Christine Essel.
Krekorian said more than half his donations wehre in amounts of $250 or less _ which help him with applying for matching funds _ and 72 percent of the money came from the San Fernando Valley. There are 10 candidates in the field, competing in the Sept. 22 election to fill out the term of Wendy Greuel, who was elected City Controller.
"I am proud that in just a short amount of time, those in the San Fernando Valley realize that our neighborhoods need a leader who will not rush to give special treatment to insiders," Krekorian said.
Essel lead all candidates with the first reports, showing more than $118,000.

A Democratic gubernatorial clash has begun taking shape in the San Fernando Valley - with a possible split of the Latino vote - as City Councilman Richard Alarcon said this week he will support Attorney General Jerry Brown for governor even as state Sen. Alex Padilla helps lead the campaign of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

The dean of the Valley's Latino politicians, Alarcon's support of the former governor's expected campaign would seem to put a damper on Newsom's effort to establish a foothold in Los Angeles and corner Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's ethnic base.

In an interview, Alarcon countered claims by the Newsom campaign that Brown, 71, is no longer relevant to Latinos who heavily supported him while he was governor from 1974 to 1982.

For nearly three decades, Camellia Avenue Elementary has buzzed with children 12 months a year, operating on a multi-track schedule to cycle more students through the overcrowded campus. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

But this summer, the chatter of children has been replaced by an unfamiliar quiet.

Like dozens of other schools across Los Angeles Unified, the North Hollywood campus closed over the summer and will open next month on a traditional nine-month calendar.

The merger between cowboys and Indians was supposed to enhance two Los Angeles museums of the American West. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

But the dust-up between the Autry National Center and defenders of the Southwest Museum of the American Indian has left a $175 million museum expansion dead and the city's oldest museum gravely wounded.

After negotiations with the city to safeguard the Mt. Washington museum failed, the Autry this week shelved plans for its grand expansion in Griffith Park.

Even though it's a non-partisan office, the Los Angeles County Democratic Party endorsed Assemblyman Paul Krekorian for the Sept. 22 election for the City Council.
Krekorian, D-Burbank, is running against nine other candidates to fill out the term of Wendy Greuel, who was elected as City Controller. Party officials said he was the choice of 70 percent of those who cast ballots, with the remaining 30 percent divided between businesswoman Chris Essel and school board member Tamar Galatzan.
Krekorian has received the support of legislative leaders, while Essel has been endrosed by Greuel and former Mayor Richard Riordan. She also has been backed by Councilwomen Jan Perry and Janice Hahn.

Former City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo has joined a Los Angeles law firm as he decides whether to run for state Attorney General in 2010.
Delgadillo announced he will jion the firm of Goodwin Proctor LLP as counsel.
Taking the job does not deter him from his plans to run for Attorney General, contingent on whether incumbent Jerry Brown leaves the post to run for governor.
Delgadillo said he has been pleased with his fundraising he has accomplished so far,
Campaign reports show him with more than $936,000.
At Goodwin Proctor, Delgadillo will be focusing on bringing in new business.
The first has 400 attorneys, with offices in downtown Los Angeles and Century
City.
Delgadillo served as City Attoney eight years before being forced out by term limits.
He is credited with creating a neighborhood prosecutor program and expanding the use of gang injunctions as well as dealing with issues of dumping of indigent patients on Skid Row.

Backing a controversial plan that would allow parents to pick private operators and others to take over failing schools, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told a town hall meeting Tuesday that reforming Los Angeles Unified will be a long but necessary fight. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

The mayor's comments highlighted the emerging political battle between the teachers union and other interests that fear the plan will lead to the privatization of the school district, and reformers who argue the district is no longer capable of making the right decisions for students.

"This will not be easy," Villaraigosa said. "It's going to be like at the fights, when they say `Let's rumble,'... but this isn't personal, this is about our children."

Citing a troubled economy and potential cuts in federal healthcare spending, Kaiser Permanente informed 650 workers at 13 hospitals across Southern California on Tuesday their positions would be eliminated.Dama Bartholomew in the Daily News.

The notices were sent in tandem with 1,200 more job losses in Northern California - even though the Oakland-based company declared a $1.1 billion profit the first half of this year.

"We have 650 people in Southern California whose positions are being eliminated," said Jim Anderson, a spokesman for the organization's Southern California region. "We are hopeful most of them will find jobs with Kaiser Permanente.

Three years after Los Angeles County eliminated an independent entity to investigate child deaths, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas is expected today to call for an inquiry into the suspicious deaths of three youngsters. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The body of 2-year-old foster child Jasmine Granados was found early Saturday by firefighters who were summoned to a home in the Athens area. His death followed the slayings of Dae'von Bailey, 6, and Lars Sanchez, 4, whose alleged mistreatment had been reported to the Department of Children and Family Services.

Ridley-Thomas said there is a critical need for an independent investigation to scrutinize the factors that contributed to the youngsters' deaths, including how DCFS and other agencies processed their cases.

While attention has focused recently on the unexpected resignation of Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, another high-profile post is about to be vacated with the Aug. 31 retirement of Fire Chief Douglas Barry. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

Observers note the Fire Department's change of command comes at a critical time, with the 3,500-member agency facing rolling service "brownouts," a high-risk fire season and the aftermath of several harassment cases.

There's also the political pressure on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who has to replace not one, but two department heads entrusted with the safety of the nation's second-largest city.

Los Angeles police commissioners on Tuesday began the process of replacing LAPD Chief William Bratton, saying they want to hold an open selection with extensive public involvement.
Daily News.
"I think we ought to consider holding special Police Commission hearings to allow the public to give their input on what they want to see in the next chief," commission President John Mack said.

San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, a candidate for governor, made a campaign stop Monday night and talked about medical marijuana and gay marriage, among other topics. Press Telegram

Newsom, who is in his second term as mayor and seeking the Democratic Party nomination, spoke with and took questions from members of a packed crowd of more than 400 people at the Cesar Chavez Elementary School gymnasium.

The campaign stop is part of Newsom's "Conversations About California's Future."

Hoping to make Los Angeles' $20 million gang prevention effort more effective and improve its tarnished image, local and national officials on Monday announced federal legislation to better monitor programs staffed by former gang members. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

The programs, many of which use former gang members to steer at-risk youth away from a life of crime, have come under increased scrutiny after reports of fraudulent billing and even arrests of some intervention workers on federal racketeering charges.

In the heart of one of the San Fernando Valley's most gang-ridden areas, Los Angeles Rep. Diane E. Watson and City Councilman Tony Cardenas unveiled the congresswoman's bill that would set higher standards for the gang-fighting programs. It would also pave the way for the groups to receive federal money.

The Los Angeles Fire Department experienced an increase in workloads but no major emergencies during its first week of money-saving service "brownouts," officials said Monday.

Deputy Chiefs Emilio Mack and Leonard Thompson told the City Council's Public Safety Committee that the brownouts have taken 87 firefighters out of the daily work rotation. However, there still are 1,000 firefighters on duty at all times, so there has been little impact on service.

I have attended several candidate forums over the last year, but this was one of the best organized and managed. It was certainly on par with the Mayoral Forum sponsored by VANC and the Los Angeles Daily News earlier in the year, but this one had the advantage of having all of the candidates present (note: Antonio Villaraigosa declined to participate in the Mayoral forum). My complements to Jill Stewart and Ron Kaye for their moderating duties, Charlie the MC for his delivery and the timekeeper, who managed to contain almost everyone's answers within the time limits (there was one bad boy). Village to Village blog

San Francsico Democratic Mayor Gavin Newsom flew 1,600 miles this weekend to talk to a national gathering of Obama generation voters. And his strategy to build his political profile is reaping at least some success: even many high school delegates at the Young Democrats of America convention in Chicago said they knew the CA 2010 gubernatorial candidate because "he shows up on our Facebook every day.'' S.F. Chronicle

But if Newsom was eager to talk about key issues with these voters -- environment, health care -- he wouldn't talk about others.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=14&entry_id=45180#ixzz0NmOoSUNm

On a hillside park overlooking Los Angeles, more than 400 grieving relatives, schoolmates and friends of Lily Burk gathered Sunday at Barnsdall Art Park for a memorial to celebrate the life of the 17-year-old who was kidnapped and killed last month near Skid Row. Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

The somber crowd wept as people listened to heartbroken friends and teachers of Burk take the stage to read poems, sing songs and tell stories of the artistic girl who was remembered well for her laugh, imagination and spontaneity.

California lawmakers have made several changes to individual income tax rates and collection schedules this year in their attempts to close multibillion dollar budget deficits. AP in the Daily News.

They include a 0.25 percent increase in the personal income tax rate, accelerated collections for quarterly filers, greater withholding for all wage-earners and a decrease in the dependent care credit.

The changes will affect all 13 million tax returns, although some taxpayers will be affected more than others. Some began earlier this year, while others will take effect soon.

Tipoffs: Bratton said building plans on time, under budget

CD2 Candidates Forum NC Financial Disclosure & CC Paycut from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

CD2 Candidates Forum "Big Three Vs The Little 7" from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

CD2 Candidates Forum "Opening Statements" from Joe Barrett on Vimeo.

L.A.'s top crime fighter is hanging up his holster and riding out of town - leaving many Angelenos wondering if the city will slip into a state of growing lawlessness. Daily News.

But if Chief William Bratton's legacy in Boston and New York is any indication, law enforcement experts say Los Angeles has nothing to worry about.

While some expect robberies and car thefts to spike as the economic downturn runs its course, Bratton has put in place personnel and policies that will cement his influence on city law enforcement, experts said.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has revamped its security operations to give the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department the responsibility of supervising transit security guards. Daily News.

The transfer of supervision authority from MTA executives to the Sheriff's Department follows complaints that some guards have improperly detained or struck commuters.

Former prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi says he is still troubled that Charles Manson's death sentence was commuted to life in prison in 1972 after the California Supreme Court overturned the death penalty.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Just a year earlier, after Manson's conviction in the Tate-LaBianca murders, Bugliosi had his last face-to-face meeting with the man who ordered his followers to commit a brutal two-night murder spree in 1969 that terrorized Los Angeles.

Transforming a demoralized and insulated Los Angeles Police Department was the most difficult task he has undertaken in his 40 years in law enforcement, outgoing Chief William Bratton said Thursday. Daily News.

One day after stunning leaders with the announcement that he will leave in October with three years left on his second term, Bratton said he believed it was only over the past two years that officers understood what he was trying to do.

"I think officers take pride today in how they are treated and accepted by the community," Bratton said. "We have shown them they can reduce crime by working with people."

Pedal to the metal, Congress sent President Barack Obama legislation Thursday night with an additional $2 billion for "cash for clunkers," the economy-boosting rebate program that caught the fancy of car buyers and instantly increased sales for an auto industry long mired in recession.AP in the Daily News.

The Senate approved the money on a 60-37 vote after administration officials said an initial $1 billion had run out in only 10 days. The House voted last week to keep alive the program, which gives consumers up to $4,500 in federal subsidies if they trade in their cars for new, more energy-efficient models.

The Cinema Heritage Project, a San Fernando Valley-based volunteer group that's out to turn the area's rich filmmaking tradition into a living experience, will present a free, outdoor screening Saturday of the cult sci-fi flick "Alien vs. Predator." Bob Strauss in the Daily News.

But there's more to it than that. The screening will take place outside of Amalgamated Dynamics' studio in Chatsworth, where the makeups and costumes for the film's monsters were created.

City Council candidate Christine Essel picked up the backing of City Controller Wendy Greuel for the seat Greuel held and is to be decided in the Sept. 22 electin.
"My home district deserves the best, which is why I'm endorsing
Christine Essel for Council District 2," Greuel said.
"Christine is the independent candidate I trust to focus on the
details and make sure the neighborhoods of District 2 receive City
services in an efficient and effective manner."
Essel, who last week was endorsed by former Mayor Richard Riordan, said she was grateful for Greuel's support.
"Wendy Greuel has been an extraordinary representative for this
district," Essel said. "I am running for City Council to continue her tradition of unparalleled
constituent service,"

Police Chief William J. Bratton, the man credited with improving the image of the Los Angeles Police Department and bringing crime down to historic lows, announced Wednesday he is leaving the department to join a private security firm in New York. Daily News.

"When you love what you do, love the people you work with, there is never any good time to leave," Bratton said at a City Hall news conference. "But there is a right time. And, for me, professionally and personally, this is the right time.

Legacy of change
When William Bratton was hired to head the LAPD in 2002, the agency's image was tarnished by low morale, rising crime, the inability to attract and retain officers and the imposition of a federal consent decree.

"The choice was pretty clear," a City Hall insider said at the time. "Bill Bratton led large police organizations and turned them all around."

Long ties with Cherkasky
Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, credited with resolving the city's law enforcement woes and building bridges to its minority community, will tackle much bigger territory in his next job: the world. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

Bratton was named Wednesday as CEO of Altegrity Security Consulting, a newly formed unit of Altegrity Inc., which will work to establish criminal justice and law enforcement systems around the globe.

Search for successor
With the surprise resignation of Los Angeles Police Chief William Bratton, widely credited for repairing LAPD's thuggish reputation, city leaders said they hope to find a replacement who can build on his successes. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the general manager of the city's personnel department will conduct an extensive worldwide search, considering both LAPD and external candidates.

BURBANK - In an emotional reunion at dawn Wednesday in a private airplane hangar at Bob Hope Airport, California journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee completed a whirlwind journey from North Korea's clutches to their families' embrace. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

"We stand here home and free," Ling declared in a quaking voice.

First Lee and then Ling, both casually dressed and looking healthy - if a bit thin - after nearly five months in detention, emerged from the front door of a private jet in the ultramodern Hangar 25 and grinned and waved as they walked down steps decorated with a "Welcome Home" sign.

Los Angeles firefighters begin a rolling brownout of service reductions today, part of an effort to cover a $39 million budget shortfall, as officials look for other savings so service can be restored. Daily News.

"This is not a point we wanted to get to, but we have to meet our budget or we will all suffer," City Council President Eric Garcetti said.

Redrawing the dire high school graduation picture painted just a few months ago, Los Angeles Unified officials announced this week that the district's dropout rate fell sharply in 2007-08 to about 26 percent.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

The new figures were a wide discrepancy from statistics released in May that showed the dropout rate at about 34 percent.

District officials attributed the change to a new system to track graduation, increased efforts to find and re-enroll students and a previous system that double-counted some dropouts.

Saying a recent string of child deaths, including the brutal beating of 6-year-old Dae'von Bailey, represents a "perfect storm of negligence," the county Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday for enhanced computerized management oversight of social workers. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said he was concerned Department of Children and Family Services officials have become too focused on reducing the number of children in foster care. As a result, "all our people are being driven" to find allegations of child abuse and neglect as unfounded, he said.

Yaroslavsky said social workers and other officials received reports Bailey was being abused, but they concluded "nothing was wrong."

The "white elephant" Kodak Theatre received a $30 million boost Tuesday with City Council approval of a federal loan to bring Cirque du Soleil to Hollywood on a permanent basis. Daily News.

"It is fitting that Cirque du Soleil, which was saved by the Los Angeles area, comes back to help us in Hollywood," City Council President Eric Garcetti said prior to the 11-0 council approval of the request to the federal department of Housing and Urban Development.

"When Cirque du Soleil was first starting, they came to Santa Monica in a tent and found success. Since then, they have become the most successful show in the world."

A city panel Tuesday recommended eliminating a tax on film companies that shoot in downtown Los Angeles, while also urging a new, in-depth study of the business tax system. Daily News.

The recommendations from the City Council's Jobs and Business Development Committee came as officials across the spectrum, from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to individual council members, say they want to see how the tax structure can be changed to bring in more jobs.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa returned from his Iceland vacation on Tuesday.
How do we know?
His office put out a mayoral schedule for Wednesday that includes a noon news conference to discuss the planned cuts in the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The mayor was sworn in to his second term on July1 and immediately took off for two weeks in South Africa. He returned briefly, only to head over to Iceland on a fishing trip with his son and former Assemblyman Richard Katz.

Even though it is a non-partisan office, the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley announced Tuesday it is endorsing Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, D-Burbank, in his bid for the Los Angeles City Council.
Krekorian is among nine candiates in the Sept. 22 election to fill out the term of Wendy Greuel, who was elected as City Controller.
"As a lifelong Democrat, I am elated to have the unanimous support of these Valley activists who have joined me in this movement to reform city government and make it work for us," Krekorian said.

Drive anywhere in Sunland Tujunga, and you can't miss the cacophony of yellow and green yard signs and bumper stickers that form a single message: Save the Verdugo Hills Golf Course.
Tony Castro in the Daily News.
The message has unified a community that sees the fight as much more than a neighborhood bid to save a golf course. Rather, they say it's a struggle to protect the way of life in the Northeast corner of the San Fernando Valley.

"We're the last community in the city of Los Angeles that is the gateway to Angeles National Forest," says Tomi Lyn Bowling of the Sunland Tujunga Neighborhood Council. "And we want it to stay a rural space that isn't Valencia, for lack of a better example."

Dorothy McHugh is angry about trash, a homeless encampment and other eyesores near the Sherman Oaks home where she and her family have lived for three decades - and even more upset that there's no City Council member to hear her complaints.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

McHugh lives in Council District 2 in the San Fernando Valley, which has been without representation since July 1 when Wendy Greuel gave up the seat to become the city controller and which may stay empty until the end of the year.

"This is our home and we just want to take our area back," says McHugh. "But we're without a voice on the City Council to help us."

With city and state revenues in a continual downward spiral, officials ranging from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are eyeing tax reform as a boost to the economy and public coffers.Daily News.

At the end of a seemingly endless budget cycle this past year, Schwarzenegger said he wanted the state Legislature to go into special session to consider tax reforms from his Commission for a 21st Century.

The commission, a 14-member bipartisan panel, has yet to complete its report. But the governor said last week he is confident its recommendations will help fix the state's "broken tax system (that) has taken California on an unwelcome roller coaster ride."

Tipoffs: Democrats looking for other candidates.

Maybe it's just a hangover effect from all of those Barack attacks we've had in the past year.
Bob Strauss in the Daily News.
But both anecdotally and intuitively, it seems that Barack and Michelle Obama - the first youthfully attractive couple to occupy the White House since the Kennedy administration - are influencing the look and attitude of one of television's first responders to cultural change: commercials.

"I don't know if it's connected, necessarily, to now having a black president and first lady, but I think it probably is," said Rebecca Yee, the Screen Actors Guild's director of affirmative action/diversity.

"From talking to our members, our own anecdotal experiences and just being in the industry, the advertisers are actually ahead of the curve when we talk about diversity."

SACRAMENTO -- California's rapid economic decline has prompted Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to propose what once was unthinkable - rolling back generous pensions in a state heavily influenced by public employee unions. AP in the Daily News.

The Republican governor said he's motivated by the need to save money. California has at least $63 billion in unfunded pension liabilities, an amount equal to roughly two-thirds of all annual general fund spending.

The concern is shared across the country, as local and state governments wrestle with hundreds of billions of dollars in unfunded public employee pension and retiree health care costs.