September 2009 Archives

While sunbathers are still hitting the beaches and there's nary a sign of fall, red-and-green tinsel and Christmas ornaments are already crowding store shelves as retailers jump-start the holiday season. Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Although it flies in the face of holiday traditionalists, Christmas in September is just another sign of recession-weary retailers going all out to attract cost-conscious consumers.

The Kohl's store in West Hills set up its second-floor Christmas display in mid-September, with shoppers eager to scope out potential bargains.

Following a recent spate of tragic child deaths, Los Angeles County officials said Tuesday they are working to improve child safety through a system that alerts social workers to repeated complaints about unsafe homes.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The new automated e-mail system will alert supervisors when a family has been the subject of multiple reports of abuse and neglect or has a prior history of a "child fatality or critical incident."

Previously, the information was not always shared easily or quickly among workers responding to complaints of potential child abuse or other problems, meaning they didn't know if they were responding to a first-time complaint.

Estimating the action will save taxpayers nearly $1.5 million, Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to eliminate five more advisory commissions.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The move followed a vote in June to eliminate 11 commissions, committees and boards that hadn't met for a long time or have had very low attendance by members.

"These recommendations will also result in less overlap among bodies and cost savings that will mitigate curtailments in critical county public services," Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka wrote in a memo to the supervisors.

With a class of 37 police recruits poised to begin training in October, the City Council debated Tuesday whether Los Angeles really needs a 10,000-officer force during a financial crisis. Daily News.

While Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa continues to insist that the nation's second-largest city needs more cops, some council members say hiring civilians could prove a cost-effective alternative to keeping Los Angeles residents safe.

San Fernando Valley home prices showed more signs of stabilization in August and annualized sales increased for the 14th consecutive month, a trade association said Monday.

The median price of a previously owned house slipped 8.5 percent last month to $389,000, from $425,000 a year earlier, said the Van Nuys-based Southland Regional Association of Realtors.

It is the second consecutive single-digit price decline and follows 19 months of double-digit drops.

"Covering a Republican convention is a precious right that all political reporters should exercise. We have repeatedly said that skipping this year's is inexcusable.** We failed to register for press credentials or show up on at least one occasion throughout our lives. That is simply wrong and we have taken responsibility for our mistake." Calbuzz.

- A 4-month-old boy was killed and a woman and man were wounded Sunday in the most wrenching among a week of gang shootings that prompted the LAPD to send extra officers to the San Fernando Valley to try to stem the violence. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

The infant's death in Van Nuys came hours after the fatal shootings of two men on a street in Canoga Park and the wounding of a man at a gas station in Panorama City, and hours before the wounding of a man in Pacoima.

The previous Sunday, a man and a boy were killed and a boy was wounded at a housing project in Pacoima

Tipoffs: CD 2 turnout renews calls for possible changes in how elections are run; mayor has a full plate.

Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman sought to fight back criticism Tuesday of her apparently scant voting record as the news threatened to dominate much of the California Republican Party's convention being held at a resort here. Sacramento Bee.

The Bee reported Thursday that it could not find records that the billionaire candidate had registered to vote before 2002.

California Republicans spent much of their weekend convention soul-searching over the battered party's future and debating a plan of attack for 2010, when they hope to capitalize on anti-tax protests and growing national conservative anger over President Barack Obama's health care proposals.AP in SF.Examiner.

Most of the attention during their three-day convention at a resort near Palm Springs was on the three GOP gubernatorial candidates, former eBay chief executive Meg Whitman, state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former five-term congressman Tom Campbell.

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich inherited an office from predecessor Rocky Delgadillo that is rife with morale problems and needs a major investment in staff training and other resources, according to a report authored by his transition team. Daily News.

Trutanich, who took office July 1, assembled the team of more than 100 volunteer outside attorneys to examine the agency's operation, identify problems and recommend solutions.

Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and businesswoman Christine Essell will face off in a a Dec. 8 runoff for the Los Angles City Council to fill the seat vacated by Wendy Greuel's election as City Controller. Daily News.

Final returns from Tuesday's election showed Krekorian, D- Burbank, with 4,929 votes, for 34.1 percent, and Essel with 4,101 votes, for 28.39 percent, in a 10-candidate field. Los Aneles school board member Tamar Galatzan came in third with 1,871 votes, for 12.94 percent.

In heading to the runoff, Krekorian and Essel also bested a field of seven comunity and neighborhood activisits who had criticized the two for the amounts of money they had raised and for moving into the district only to run for the City Council seat.

The San Fernando Valley's largest shelter will receive $10 million in federal economic stimulus money to get newly homeless residents off the street and help pay their living expenses. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.

L.A. Family Housing in North Hollywood is one of three Los Angeles agencies to share in a $30 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"I'm very excited," said Stephanie Klasky-Gamer, president and CEO of L.A. Family Housing. "This will be a huge, huge help.

Add City Councilman Greig Smith to the list of scofflaws violating Los Angeles' water conservation restrictions.Daily News.

In a direct challenge to the Department of Water and Power, Smith announced Wednesday he is violating the twice-weekly watering limitations -- and believes he is saving more water by doing so

With Wednesday's midnight deadline to apply for Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton's job now passed, the city Personnel Department is poised to begin the next phase of its search today.Daily News.

Bratton announced he is leaving on Oct. 31 to head a private security firm, with three years left on his second term.

A divided Los Angeles Unified school board voted Tuesday to eliminate all special committees and limit public comment, but critics said the cost-cutting move comes at the expense of free and open debate at a time of huge change in the district. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

The 5-2 decision will save money by reducing materials and staff time associated with committees that handle issues ranging from curriculum and maintenance to school safety and charter schools.

"We are in a crisis," said School Board President Monica Garcia, who proposed the plan. "And with this budget we are not only challenged to do less ... we must do things differently."

With $178 million left unspent from the budget adopted earlier this year, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to allocate $27 million to keep jails open, prevent child deaths and set aside money in a "rainy day" fund. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

The county ended 2008-09 with a $178 million fund balance. Of that amount, $151 million will be needed to pay for programs and projects not completed in 2008-09.

Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka said the remaining money will be used to keep jails open and some will be set aside in a "rainy day" fund. A total of $5.2 million was allocated to the Department of Children and Family Services to hire 33 workers to improve child safety.

Activists and customers protested Tuesday at Anthem Blue Cross offices in Woodland Hills and nationwide to criticize the company's role in the national health care debate. Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Organized by a coalition of health care reform groups and labor unions, the protesters claimed that Wellpoint -- Anthem Blue Cross's parent company and the nation's largest insurer -- is working to oppose health care reforms by the Obama administration.

>Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and businesswoman Christine Essell will face off in a a Dec. 8 runoff for the Los Angles City Council to fill the seat vacated by Wendy Greuel's election tas City Controller.

Final returns from Tuesday's election showed Krekorian, D- Burbank, with 4,929 votes, for 34.1 percent, and Essel with 4,101 votes, fro 28.39 percent, in a 10-candidate field. Los Aneles school board member Tamar Galatzan came in third with 1,871 votes, for 12.94 percent.
In heading to the runoff, Krekorian and Essel also bested a field of seven comunity and neighborhood activisits who had criticized the two for the amounts of money they had raised and for moving in to the district only to run for the City Council seat.The "Little Seven" of those identified themselves as grassroots candidates who have been active in the community through neighborhood councils and homeowners associations.

Those candidates are neighborhood council leader Mary Benson, Candy Factory owner Frank Sheftel, county commission member Jozef "Joe" Thomas Essavi, businessman Augusto Bisani, neighborhood council member Michael McCue, community organizer Pete Sanchez and community activist David "Zuma Dogg" Saltsburg.

Much of the campaign focused on the political connections of Essel, Galatzan and Krekorian -- as well as the fact that Essel and Krekorian moved in to the district only to establish residency so they could run for the $178,789 a year seat.

The Council District 2 seat, which stretches from Studio City to Sunland-Tujunga, was held by Wendy Greuel until she was elected city controller earlier this year. The term ends in 2011 and after that the incumbent would be eligible to run for three four-year terms.

Galatzan, a neighborhood prosecutor in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office, also has had to fend off criticisms that she used her brief term on the Los Angeles Unified School District board -- she was elected in 2007 -- only as a stepping stone to higher office.

Krekorian, a Democrat whose district is based in Burbank but includes a portion of the City Council district, has had to fight similar arguments over his quick move to leave the Assembly.

He was first elected to the Assembly in 2006 after a career on the Burbank Board of Education and has moved up quickly. He now serves as the assistant majority floor leader.

Essel is a former executive at Paramount Pictures and has been involved in Los Angeles civic life, serving on city panels that included the Community Redevelopment Commission and the Airport Commission.

[TAG1]rick.orlov@dailynews.com

213-978-0390

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Businesswoman Chris Essel and Assemblyman Paul Krekorian were leading and looking at a Dec. 8 runoff, with school board member Tamar Galatzan in third place.
For returns, go to: http://cityclerk.lacity.org/election/Results.htm

Attorney General Jerry Brown said he plans to open an official exploratory committee for governor soon to allow him to begin fundraising for the 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
Brown, during a visit at Los Angeles City Hall where he met with City Councill President Eric Garcetti, said he plans to take the next step to begin raising the millions that will be necessary to be competitive.
While Brown did not address the primary campaign against San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, but said he was looking at the general election against multi-millionaire Republicans, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman.
"They are talking about spending $150 million," Brown said. "They will buy up all the airtime with that kind of money."
Brown was asked about the endorsement Newsom received from former President Bill Clinton.
"These things happen in politics," Brown said.
--30--

Foreclosures in the San Fernando Valley plummeted 39 percent during August from a year earlier but will likely remain a drag on the housing market as long as unemployment remains high, a research center said Monday. Gregory J.Wilcox in the Daily News.

The region saw 564 home foreclosures last month, down from 922 a year earlier and 617 in July, according to the Valley Economic Research Center at Cal State Northridge.

Center director William Roberts said foreclosures have previously been concentrated in the central and northeast Valley but are now spreading to more affluent areas as unemployment soars.

Hoping to keep Southern California transit projects on the minds of federal officials, a local coalition on Monday unveiled a list of 21 projects it says are urgently needed to keep the region moving at a 21st-century pace.Sue Doyle in the Daily News.

From crash-avoidance technology on commuter trains to freeway lane-widening projects, the list arrives as a six-year, $500 billion federal Surface Transportation Authorization bill struggles to get through Congress.

"We're barely moving on the 101. What we need now is an offramp from congestion," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, speaking at the eighth annual Mobility 21 coalition meeting.

"This regional transportation system is essential if we're going to connect to one another."

Voters in City Council District 2 will head to the polls today to fill the vacant seat left by Wendy Greuel, who was elected City Controller in March.Daily News.

It will be the third trip to the polls this year for District 2 voters, who will likely have to return again in December to decide a runoff between today's two top vote-getters.

Months before a wildfire burned 280 square miles at the edge of Los Angeles, a little-known group was awarded a $178,000 grant to clear flammable brush and tree limbs to protect a mountain neighborhood in the Angeles National Forest. Associated Press in the Daily News.

The work proposed for 90 acres in Big Tujunga Canyon was never done, and the grant was rescinded two days before the massive blaze ignited Aug. 26. Sixty homes were burned in the rugged canyon, by far the greatest concentration of property damage in the huge wildfire.

Three inarguable facts dominate California's system of financing state government: Sacramento Bee.

• It's a mess.

• It's currently a mess in large part due to the deepest and most pervasive global recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

• It's been a mess for much of the past three decades because the combination of an out-of date tax system, reckless spending and fickle voters has made state government extremely vulnerable to the ebbs and flows of the economy.

Two events came together in recent weeks to elevate the importance of Tuesday's special election to replace Wendy Greuel on the Los Angeles City Council. Daily News.

The Station Fire, which has scorched more than 160,000 acres, serves as a searing reminder of the importance of the Los Angeles Fire Department, even as budget problems threaten to reduce its responsiveness.

With the rapid expansion of medical marijuana clinics in the San Fernando Valley, police say they have seen a massive increase in the number of burglaries and violent robberies at the facilities. Sue Doyle in the Daily News,

There have been at least 200 robberies at medical marijuana dispensaries in the Valley in the last two years -- or an average of two for each of the Valley's estimated 100 facilities, according to Los Angeles police. They say the nature of the business -- dealing in drugs and cash -- makes them prime targets for thieves.

City officials and union leaders returned to the negotiating table Thursday in the struggle to cover a $405 million shortfall, as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa reasserted his authority to order layoffs and furloughs.Daily News.

City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana led discussions with the Coalition of City Unions about a proposed early-retirement incentive package and will report to the City Council today on their progress.

If no agreement is reached, Santana said, the council will proceed with plans to furlough workers - 26 days a year for all those scheduled to get cost-of-living increases this year and 18 days for those not receiving an increase.

The Los Angeles Convention Center wasted more than $1 million in taxpayer money by failing to properly control employee overtime and lacks a system for keeping track of its fixed assets, some of which could not be found, according to an audit released on Thursday.Daily News

The audit -- the first by new City Controller Wendy Greuel -- also found that the convention center has no clear policy or oversight of fee waivers. It also recommended that a flexible demand-based pricing program be implemented, allowing management to fill the Convention Center during slower times by reducing rental prices.

Two more water mains in the San Fernando Valley burst early Wednesday, turning up the pressure on the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and infrastructure experts to explain the seeming epidemic of underground pipe failures this month. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

One theory being floated was that the trouble is an unintended consequence of the city's water-conservation ordinance limiting lawn sprinkler use to Mondays and Thursdays before 9 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

Despite the budget crisis facing the city, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told San Fernando Valley business leaders Wednesday that improving the school district performance remains his chief concern. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News,

Speaking during the fifth annual Mayors Luncheon, sponsored by the United Chambers of Commerce of the San Fernando Valley, Villaraigossa said that some teenage job seekers cannot fill out a basic application or compile a resume.

Still failing to reach a deal with city unions in contract talks Wednesday, the City Council asked officials to start drafting plans to lay off 926 workers and furlough thousands of others, while continuing to consider an early retirement program. Daily News.

But the action sets up a possible veto from Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who said he believes he has no choice but to block the Early Retirement Incentive Program.

Los Angeles Unified students overall made steady progress last year on a key state benchmark test, but 52 underperforming schools were added to a list of campuses that could be taken over by nonprofit operators. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

LAUSD raised its average score on the Academic Performance Index to 694 in 2008-09 from 681 the year before - a 13-point gain that was just short of the statewide average.

The statewide API score increased to 755 from 741 the year before, according to figures released Tuesday by the California Department of Education.

Facing steep losses and soaring insurance premiums because of wildfire damage, utilities serving the San Fernando Valley have asked the state for permission to pass on the higher costs to customers.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Utilities have not specified how they would pass on the costs, but they did say it would not technically be a rate hike.

The request has riled consumer groups who say some of the fires that destroyed utility equipment were caused by the utilities themselves - such as the downed power line that touched off last year's Sesnon Fire in Porter Ranch.

With a 37 percent jump in the number of indigent people collecting welfare checks, Los Angeles County wants to add rental subsidies to its General Relief program to help thousands of transients secure housing, officials said Tuesday.Daily News.

Following a successful three-year pilot project that helped 900 people and saved taxpayers $11 million, the Board of Supervisors is expected to vote Sept. 29 on a plan to spend $7.2 million to expand the program to 10,000 people.

A portion the Santa Susana Field Laboratory has been declared excess property by a federal agency, allowing it to be transferred or sold, and reviving concerns about the future of its radioactive and chemical cleanup.Susan Abram in the Daily News.

NASA filed its declaration on Monday with the General Services Administration, saying it no longer had any use for its 450-acre parcel at the rocket-test facility.

Pressured by powerful labor interests on one side and threats of a mayoral veto on the other, a divided Los Angeles City Council Tuesday put off a decision on a controversial union deal and appointed a special committee to renew talks with workers.Daily News.

"We are looking to come to a deal to protect the taxpayers, to protect our workers and to protect the local economy," Council President Eric Garcetti said at the end of a seven-hour closed door meeting.

A near capacity crowd greeted the ten candidates at the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Council candidate forum held at the Sherman Oaks Elementary School. Village to Village blog

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said on Monday that he is considering drastic measures, including laying off 926 employees and furloughing all remaining workers -- including police officers -- to address the city's $403 million budget deficit if a labor deal with the Coalition of Los Angeles City Unions falls through.Daily News

However, he added he remains steadfastly opposed to a proposal to freeze hiring for the Los Angeles Police Department.

A year after the financial system nearly collapsed, the nation's biggest banks are bigger and regaining their appetite for risk.

Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and others - which have received tens of billions of dollars in federal aid - are once more betting big on bonds, commodities and exotic financial products, trading that nearly stopped during the financial crisis.

Tipoffs: Maria Elena-Durazo goes on the front lines with her members. Other political items.

Los Angeles Unified officials have released the first draft of a controversial reform plan that outlines how nonprofit groups might ultimately operate up to 250 district campuses, but some groups Friday criticized the proposal as anti-parent choice and anti-teacher. Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Under the district's recently approved School Choice Plan, charter schools, the Mayor's Schools Partnership program, the teachers union and other nonprofits can apply to run up to 250 new and underperforming district campuses.

In announcing the first draft of the plan, Superintendent Ramon Cortines said he welcomed vigorous debate and looked forward to hearing from all sides.

With Los Angeles' financial situation worsening, the city's top advisers urged Friday that an early retirement program be abandoned and that employee layoffs and furloughs be imposed instead. Daily News.

The highly anticipated report from City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana and Chief Legislative Analyst Gerry Miller predicted the cost of funding the early retirement incentive program would "devastate city operations."

Kevin James announced that Paul Krekorian could not participate because he was on the floor of the Assembly where the final bills of the session were being considered. Village to Village blog

Later in the program, Kevin stated he had heard that the session had actually ended prior to the start of the show. However, he did not believe Krekorian was attempting to duck the broadcast.

State inspectors have identified more than $15 million in questionable expenditures using federal homeland security grants spent in California, an investigation by California Watch has found. California Watch in the Daily News.

Using the state's open-records laws, the investigative unit started this year by the nonprofit Center for Investigative Reporting found scores of instances of wasteful spending, purchasing violations, error-prone accounting and shoddy oversight at agencies across the state during the years immediately following 9-11.

Los Angeles County officials, for instance, spent $20,000 for a Chevrolet Monte Carlo, $3,558 for 70 replica firearms and $1,500 for a shotgun safe - none of which were permitted under the guidelines for the homeland

As the city considers hiring a successor to departing Police Chief William Bratton, the consensus at a public meeting Thursday night was the ideal candidate would follow Bratton's examples and would come from within the department.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

The comments by San Fernando Valley residents came at the fourth of five community meetings held by the Police Commission to solicit public input on the next chief.

"My first recommendation would be to see if we could clone our current chief," said Cary Iaccino of the Reseda Neighborhood Council. "I believe we should look for somebody within first, but being such a great city that we are ... I think we can get pretty much the best of the best."

day after President Obama blended compromise and combativeness in a speech to Congress pushing health care legislation, reactions from Southern Californians prominent in the debate were just as mixed. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

Rep. Buck McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, dismissed the nationally televised address as "more of the same with maybe a new wrapper on it," and was displeased that Obama scolded Republicans for what the president said were lies about his specific proposals.

"It was like we were being taken to the woodshed for doing what we thought was our constitutional responsibility," McKeon said in a phone interview Thursday. "We've read the bill, and we've tried to explain it to the American people, and the American people have told us they

A dozen firefighters descended on City Hall Thursday to deliver about 5,000 mailer responses from the public, asking the mayor and City Council to rescind a cost-cutting measure which takes 15 fire trucks and nine ambulances out of service every day. Daily News.

Pat McOsker, president of United Firefighters of Los Angeles City, said continuing what the mayor calls the "Modified Coverage Plan" and what the union calls "brownouts" is dangerous and potentially deadly.

This was easily one of the best forums of the campaign. My complements to Kevin James for intelligent questions and moving the discussion along. Village to Village blog

After the customary introductions, Kevin's first question concerned the city's infrastructure in wake of fires and water main ruptures. Everyone expressed disgust with the DWP for its neglect, but no one addressed the issue of allowing development in fire zones.

Scars linger
Like many people touched by the Metrolink train disaster in Chatsworth a year ago, Francisco Ocampo finds it hard to ponder the weird twists of fate that ended 25 lives and scarred 135 more while sparing countless others.Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

It can be almost as hard for Ocampo to ponder the simple curve in the rails where the region's deadliest commuter train accident occurred.

Lawsuits could reach $1 billion
With damages that could range from $600 million to $1billion, more than 140 claims and lawsuits have been filed against Metrolink and its contractors in connection with last year's deadly train collision in Chatsworth, plaintiff's attorneys and Metrolink officials said Wednesday.Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Nearly a year after the accident, the cases are now being consolidated into a master complaint so multiple trials won't have to be held, attorneys said.

After listening to a parade of workers and supporters of the living wage, the Los Angeles City Council on Wednesday approved a major raise that will enable LAX-area workers to pay for health insurance.Daily News.

Under the plan, 5,100 workers employed by the airlines and concessionaires will receive a bump of $4.50 an hour to pay for health coverage.

"This is long overdue," Councilman Bill Rosendahl said. "As we wait for the federal government to deal with this, we are taking steps to protect our workers."

Renewing questions about the city's aging water-delivery system, another major pipeline broke early Tuesday in Valley Village, creating a sinkhole that nearly swallowed a 44,000-pound fire engine.Susan Abram in the Daily News.

The break came as city crews were still scrambling to repair the damage from an unrelated rupture Saturday night that flooded neighborhoods in Studio City.

The gusher in Valley Village opened up a 12-foot deep sinkhole that enveloped the front half of a city fire engine. A fire captain, engineer and two firefighters escaped the accident shaken, but unharmed. They had been responding to a 5:20 a.m. 911 call that water was rushing over street curb

Hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles Unified students today head back to school, where they'll find crowded classrooms, fewer teachers and limited services thanks to a year of tough budget cuts.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

And the students won't be the only ones with a homework assignment.

District officials say state lawmakers have given them a vexing math problem to start the year: Subtract about $140 million - the equivalent of closing down seven high schools - from this year's budget.

Even as Los Angeles overspends by nearly $1million a day, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa insisted Tuesday he will continue to block any effort to reduce hiring for the Los Angeles Police Department.Daily News.

The mayor said he will fight a proposal to stop the expansion of the department this year, which would jeopardize Villaraigosa's goal of having a 10,000-member police force.

"There are those who say there is no connection with our growing the police department and the drop in crime," Villaraigosa said. "I say they are wrong and I will do everything in my power to prevent them from cutting the police department. It would break the compact and commitment we made with the residents of this city when they agreed to impose the trash fees to hire more police."

The creator of a youth program credited with tamping down violence at 16 Los Angeles parks was named Tuesday as the city's new anti-gang czar. Daily News.

Guillermo Cespedes, a native of Cuba who grew up in the United States, will succeed the Rev. Jeff Carr, who was promoted to serve as Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's chief of staff

Mitch Englander has become the first to declare for the 2011 election to the Los Angeles City Council, taking out papers to succeed his boss, Councilman Grieg Smith.
Smith, who could run for another term, has said he will not run again.
Englander, who is a reserve police officer, long has voiced interest in running for the seeat.
"I am running for City Council to keep our streets safe, improve Los Angeles' business climate, and continue fighting for the Valley's fair share," Englander said.. "I am honored to have earned the early support of so many respected elected, business and community, and Neighborhood Council leaders."
He said he has received the endorsement from Smith, City Controller Wendy Greuel, Sheriff Lee Baca, Councilman Dennis P. Zine and former Assemblymembers Keith Richman and Richard Katz.
As Smith's chief of staff, Englander said he was the driving force behind most of the major inititatives out of the council office.
Englander is chair of the North Valley Family YMCA and is active in numerous community and service organizations.

Business owners, shoppers and restaurant and theater patrons throughout the San Fernando Valley are up in arms about the increased parking meter rates that have been introduced over the past year - and demanding something be done about it.Tony Castro in the Daily News.

Councilman Dennis Zine agrees and has asked officials to re-evaluate the rate hike, which was intended to raise an extra $18million for cash-strapped city coffers. He believes the rate increase may have been counterproductive.

"If we're losing out on sales taxes because people aren't shopping at some of our businesses because of parking, then it has been doing more harm than good," Zine said.

Homeowners sopped up muddy floors and soggy cars while business owners fretted over customers lost Sunday after a nearly century old water main broke open the night before, causing a rushing river-like flood down parts of Ventura Boulevard. Bob
Strauss and Susan Abram in the Daily News.

Portions of Coldwater Canyon Avenue - a link between the San Fernando Valley and Beverly Hills - were shut down and will remain closed until Saturday where the steel, 64-inch main burst open near Dickens Street late Saturday night. Water gushed and carved out a hole at least 15 by 15 feet wide and 24 feet deep.

A decade after he murdered a Filipino immigrant and wounded five Jewish people in a San Fernando Valley shooting spree, the gunman has surprised victims and their families by renouncing his white-surpremacist views while expressing "deep remorse" for his crime. Kevin Modesti in the Daily News.

"I feel a life based on hate is no life at all," Buford O'Neal Furrow Jr. wrote in a letter from the federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Ind., where he is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole.

On a day normally set aside for picnics, marches and parades to honor America's workers, many Angelenos will spend their day either looking for jobs or worrying about keeping the ones they have.
Daily News.
The economic downturn has pushed Los Angeles County's jobless rate to nearly 12 percent - and the tough jobs outlook is expected to continue in 2010.

It is a challenging time for all workers, even those in the formal labor movement. Following a year of massive job losses and steep cuts in pay and benefits for non-union workers, public sector unions - which in comparison have escaped much of the pain - have lost a great deal of sympathy from the general public and politicians.

Tipoffs: Mailers begin to hit; political rumors.

Following a series of high-profile child deaths in Los Angeles County, child welfare experts are warning that foster care agencies could overreact to the renewed scrutiny by tearing hundreds of kids needlessly from their families. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Several experts said when the agencies faced public criticism in the past, they have at times acted too quickly to take children from their families and place them in foster care.

When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hefted a dumbbell Thursday in the charred ruins of Big Tujunga Canyon, he wasn't expecting angry homeowners to muscle in on his photo op.p Dana Bartholomew in the Daiily News.

But residents who'd lost their houses to the flames weighed in before the TV cameras with claims that officials moved firefighters away from their area to protect richer neighborhoods in Rancho Palos Verdes.

"They left that fire to burn unattended for two-and-a-half days," said Bert Voorhees, 53, of Vogel Flats, where an estimated 30 homes were destroyed by flames Saturday. "Believe me, I'm a big fan of firefighters. And this whole community got burned out, our homes destroyed.

"It was our impression that resources were pulled off to save rich areas."

For now, the new Los Angeles Police Department headquarters has that new-house feel -- the smell of fresh paint, static electricity off the carpets, walls absent of any handprints. Daily News.

Yet, in about two months, it will be teeming with life from police officers, politicians and the public taking advantage of its new park, a planned restaurant and the first public meeting space in more than three decades.

"We fought a lot of pressure and were able to prevent this from looking like a fortress," Councilwoman Jan Perry said Thursday during a tour of the 10-story, 500,000-square-foot complex.

The Los Angeles City Council balked Wednesday at a plan to raise energy surcharges used to help pay for the renewable energy sources required by city, state and federal guidelines.Daily News.

The council returned the proposal to the Board of Water and Power Commissioners, asking them to rework it to make it more fair to all ratepayers.

"We need to make sure we have an equitable policy," said Councilwoman Jan Perry, chair of the council's Energy and Environment Committee.

More Los Angeles Unified students passed the California High School Exit Exam on their first try this year, but the district's performance still lags behind the state average, according to test results released Tuesday.Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

"I think improving on last year is always evidence of good things, but we are not where we need to be," said LAUSD board president Monica Garcia. "We are now challenged by the budget cuts ... but students are not excused from their requirements because we are in an economic recession ... we need to stay focused and with or without cuts our students need to pass."

All high school students must pass the test before they can graduate.

The race for the City Council's Second District seat remains tight among three leading candidates, but the majority of voters are still undecided, meaning a runoff election will likely be needed, according to a new poll commissioned by a major labor group. Daily News.

Working Californians, an advocacy group headed by IBEW managers Marvin Kropke and Brian D'Arcy, conducted a telephone survey of 400 voters about the Sept. 22 election.

Los Angeles County residents could see savings of up to 40 percent on prescription medicine under a bulk-purchasing drug program announced Monday by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Daily News.

Saying he had to overcome four years of objections by city bureaucracy, Villaraigosa pledged to launch an effort to implement the cost-savings plan statewide.

Billing it as the largest state-sponsored green jobs training program in the nation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Monday announced a $75 million program to train 20,000 workers for environmental jobs.Daily News.

"We will need more workers to install the solar panels and insulate the homes and do all those things that we will need," Schwarzenegger said at an announcement at Los Angeles Trade Technical College.