Rick Orlov: February 2012 Archives

The Los Angeles Police Commission on Tuesday approved the department's controversial plan to exempt some unlicensed drivers from costly 30-day impounds of their vehicles. CJ Lin in the Daily News.

Under the new policy, which has been hotly debated since last year, unlicensed drivers who have valid identification, car registration and proof of insurance will still be cited, but their vehicles can be released when another licensed driver or the registered owner is available, instead of being held for 30 days.

Police Chief Charlie Beck pushed for the change, calling the mandatory 30-day impounds unfair to illegal immigrants, who are not allowed to apply for drivers licenses.

Despite the school board's desire to end social promotion, Los Angeles Unified lacks the money and personnel to eliminate the practice of passing academically unprepared students to the next grade level, officials said. Barbara Jones in the Daily News.
The school board approved a resolution last July seeking a new policy to promote students to the next grade only if they meet academic milestones.

Although officials wanted the policy in place for the 2012-13 school year, the committee studying the issue has recommended indefinitely postponing any significant change because of the ongoing budget crisis.

With Los Angeles County jails almost at capacity, the Sheriff's Department is considering sending hundreds of inmates to correctional facilities near Bakersfield and allowing misdemeanor offenders to serve only 15 percent of their sentences. Christina Villarcorte in the Daiy News.
Assistant Sheriff Cecil Rhambo told the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the county's jails might be filled up by the time the fiscal year ends June 30.

He said Sheriff Lee Baca is thinking of sending some inmates with nonviolent, nonsexual and nonserious offenses (N3s) to correctional facilities in Shafter, Taft, Coalinga and Delano.

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich picked up the support on Tuesday of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, in his race for Los Angels County District Attorney.
Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary- treasurer of the labor organizatoni, said Trutanich is being backed because of his commitment to use the office to enforcoe labor laws to protect the health and safety of workers.
Trutanich said he was pleased with the union's endorsement, saying "it sends an enormously powerful msssage....(and) sets the tone for the coming months."
--

There is one place in the San Fernando Valley where the new home market seems frozen in the last boom -- the 12220 block of Pierce Street in Pacoima.

That's where 57 solar powered homes are selling as fast as they are built despite the lingering aftershocks of the Great Recession.

"This new project is exactly what our buyers are looking for -- smaller, more energy-efficient homes with creative design at an affordable price," said Shawn Evenhaim, president and founder of Canoga Park-based California Home Builders.

Pooches perched alongside their owners at outdoor cafes and sidewalk restaurant tables are a common sight in warm-weather Los Angeles. But the dogs' presence, until now, has often been a violation of county health policy.
No longer. Christina Villacorte in the Daily News.

On Monday, Los Angeles County officials gathered to celebrate a policy change that lets restaurant owners decide if they want to let two-footed diners bring their four-footed friends to dinner.

»
For the dozens of officers called to respond to the bank robbery in North Hollywood 15 years ago, it was like looking into the face of hell. Daily News.

"They were demons, devils," LAPD Assistant Chief Michel Moore now recalls of Larry Phillips and Emil Matasareanu, who wore black ski masks, reinforced military-grade body armor and armed themselves with automatic weapons as they attempted their long-planned robbery of the Bank of America branch.

Tipoff: Do court ruings undermine campaign reform? Mayor's ambitions and timing.

The city's redistricting commission approved new City Council district boundaries late Wednesday night after a nearly eight-hour hearing - but the fight will continue next month when the council itself considers the redrawn lines.Dakota Smith in the Daily News,

Hundreds of speakers packed City Hall chambers to speak out against the lines, with the majority of criticism heard over decisions in downtown, Westchester, Koreatown and the San Fernando Valley.

The commission ultimately voted to have two City Council districts split between the Valley and the Los Angeles basin - against the wishes of local groups, such as the Valley Industry and Commerce Association, which felt Valley-only districts were needed to increase the region's political power.

Frustrated over lost subway revenues, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board voted Thursday to look into finally locking the gates at dozens of subway stops to discourage fare dodgers.Dakota /smith in the Daily News,

The plan, which the board hopes to enact within six months, would convert L.A.'s subway from an honor system to the type of locked gate system seen in most other cities.

School board candidates would be able to raise more money per donor starting in the 2015 election under a recommendation Thursday by the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. Daily News,

The panel voted to increase the donation cap for Los Angeles Unified candidates to $1,100, up from the current $1,000 to account for inflation. But the commission deferred a similar move for candidates for City Council and other city offices, saying it needed more study.

Family friend Reza Helali demonstrates the difficulty of pushing Mahdokht Nakhost over a section of buckled sidewalk in front of her home in Northridge on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2012. Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News.
Each year, the sidewalk grows like a weed in front of Ahmad and Mahdokht Nakhost's house.

The buckled walkway, pushed up by a giant Aleppo pine, resembles the latest skateboard ramp.

Except the Northridge couple are both in their 80s, both disabled, and have been twice turned down by the city of Los Angeles to put the fix on their sidewalk Styx.

Tensions over newly drawn council district boundaries erupted Wednesday night as the redistricting commission prepared to finalize the map and send it off for City Council approval. The panel adopted, basicallly, the map that has been circulated with only minor changes.Dakota Smith in the Daily News.

Hundreds of speakers packed City Hall chambers to speak out against the lines, with the the majority of criticism heard over decisions in downtown, Westchester, Koreatown and the San Fernando Valley.

The commission was expected to debate the lines late into the night, and it had not taken a vote on the new map by the Daily News' deadline.

The city is evicting the operator of its pro shop and driving range at the Sepulveda Golf Complex in Encino on March 1 - the latest in a string of concession fights at L.A.'s public golf courses. Daily News.

Ready Golf has been operating the pro shop on a month-to-month contract since 2001 and battling with the Department of Recreation and Parks over utility payments. The company filed a lawsuit Wednesday to block the eviction.

Democratic Reps. Howard Berman and Brad Sherman and Republican candidate Mark Reed faced off in Tarzana on Tuesday night as part of the heated race for the newly drawn San Fernando Valley 30th congressional district seat. Dakota Smith in the Daily News.

Held at the Temple Judea and hosted by the Jewish Journal, topics at the debate - one of a half dozen held so far this year - ranged from foreign policy to the nation's unemployment rate.

Off the bat, the issue of Israel - and the country's tensions with Iran - was put to all the candidates, with all three backing tough sanctions against Iran, as well as the threat of military action.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Maria Elena Durazo, executive secretary of the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, will serve as national co-chairs of the re-election campaign of President Obama, it was announced today.
They are among 100 national co-chairs selected by the Obama for America campaign across the country.
"They will serve as ambassadors for the President, advise the campaign on key issues, and help engage and mobilize voters in all 50 states. The President's National Co-Chairs will be tremendous assets on the ground as we build the biggest grassroots campaign in history," said Jim Messina, Obama for America Campaign Manager.
Villaraigosa was a national co-chair for Villaraigosa in his first campaign and was recently named chair of the DNC Convention to be held in Charlotte this summer.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will drill about 30 new wells deep below the San Fernando Valley next month to better define a toxic underground chemical plume that regulators admit they still don't understand. Melissa Pamer in the Daily Hews

The EPA will install the groundwater wells to monitor for chromium-6, or hexavalent chromium, the metal pollutant that environmental crusader Erin Brockovich famously helped expose in Hinkley.

At a cost of more than $3 million, the new wells are intended to give EPA scientists an improved understanding of where hexavalent chromium can be found - with the intent of guiding future cleanup efforts.

Amid political infighting, the citizens commission reviewing Los Angeles City Council boundaries is scheduled to take one last vote today on a disputed map that imposes sharp changes on San Fernando Valley and inner-city neighborhoods. Daily News

The meeting, at 4 p.m. in City Council chambers, is the last step before submitting the maps to the Council, which has a July 1 deadline for the 2013 election.

While the City Council may make changes, there is a likelihood that the map will be the subject of legal action by two Council members, Bernard Parks and Jan Perry, or by a civil rights group.

More than 80 years after their predecessors helped push people of Mexican descent out of Los Angeles County, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to issue a formal apology.Christina Villacorte in the Daily News,

Supervisor Gloria Molina called on the board to apologize for the fact that the county helped "round up people" during the Mexican Repatriation from 1929 through 1944.

"United States citizens and legal residents were separated from their families and country and were deprived of their livelihood and United States constitutional rights, and many were never reunited with their families," Molina said in her motion.

After more than a decade of delays, the first phase of the controversial Newhall Ranch development is projected to break ground in late 2013 or early 2014, after the Board of Supervisors gave the project its final approval on Tuesday. Christina Villacorte in the Daily News.

"Our plans have been thoroughly reviewed and analyzed, and we're pleased that we're now in a position to move forward," said Marlee Lauffer, vice president of communications for Newhall Land.

The board gave the go-ahead to build Landmark Village, the first of five communities intended to make up the 12,000-acre Newhall Ranch development near the Interstate 5 and State Route 126 freeways.

The second phase of the project, Mission Village, is also expected to receive final approval over the next few weeks.

She was dressed in a body-hugging top and tiny miniskirt with torn fishnets and black boots - drawing lingering stares from men and disgusted head shakes from women driving on a busy stretch of North Hills. CJ Lin in the Daily News.

What appeared to be another prostitute on the corner by the Motel 6 - a spot known to be frequented by hookers - was actually an undercover cop setting up a sting. Three men were arrested in three hours, a relatively slow day, but one which nonetheless made the point to johns: Don't come back here.

The effort was part of a new comprehensive strategy by the Los Angeles Police Department to target quality-of-life issues in one of the most crime-ridden pockets of the north San Fernando Valley.

Tipoff: Mayor denies role as DNC conventioni chair could lure him from L.A.

Jasper is one of the lucky few - an adorable mixed breed stray puppy adopted from the Castaic animal shelter almost at the moment he arrived.Christina Villacorte in the Daily News.

In another kennel, Kato, an 11-year-old Akita mix needing pain medication, continues to wait for a "forever home."

But Kato's time left before facing possible euthanasia is short - and would be even shorter under a new budget-saving proposal from Gov. Jerry Brown.

A northeast San Fernando Valley intersection is now named for one of Pacoima's most colorful civic activists.Dana Bartholomew in the Daly News.

City officials on Saturday proclaimed the center of Van Nuys and Glenoaks boulevards "Marie Harris Square" in honor of Pacoima's late honorary mayor.

"With the dedication of the Marie Harris Square, I hope to memorialize the talent, vision and work of a devoted mother, loving neighbor and true community friend," City Councilman Richard Alarcon said.

sLos AngeleeUnified Superintendent John Deasy said Friday the district broke state law by waiting a year to tell California's teacher credentialing agency that it was firing an instructor under investigation for alleged lewd acts with students. | Watch video here Barbara Jones in the Daily News.

Deasy issued a statement saying he'd ordered his staff to investigate why the district had failed to notify the state Commission on Teacher Credentialing within 30 days that teacher Mark Berndt had been fired.

"State law requires that school districts report changes in a teacher's employment status as a result of allegations of misconduct within 30 days of the change in employment status," Deasy said in a stateLos men

Tipoff: AnonymouA critical of Councilman Richard Alarcon in the 39th Assembly District RACE.

Averting what some feared would be a Valentine's Day massacre, the Los Angeles Unified board decided Tuesday to delay making crippling cuts to adult education and arts and preschool programs in the hope of finding money to fund them. | See photo gallery. Barbara Jones in the Daily News,

After hearing adult-ed success stories from a parade of speakers, board member Steve Zimmer introduced what he called "an amendment of hope" that gives officials a month to either find additional funding sources or other programs to cut. Zimmer said there is no way to salvage every program, but he hopes to be able to make "drastic" rather than "catastrophic" cuts.

"Our school families have endured so much that one more blow would have been more than we could come back from," Zimmer said after the meeting. "These cuts would have been unconscionable. I had to craft a way to give us more space and time to ensure we've exhausted every option.

LAPD Chief Charlie Beck's proposal to relax the 30-day impound rule for some unlicensed drivers is illegal, according to the state Legislature's legal counsel.CJ Lin in the Daily News,

A legal opinion issued Saturday by the state Office of Legislative Counsel said state law requires agencies to impound a vehicle driven by an unlicensed motorist for 30 days - and the LAPD does not have the authority to release the vehicle earlier, as Beck has proposed.

Beck has called the 30-day impound rule unfair to illegal immigrants who can not legally obtain driver's licenses. Under his revision, cars driven by unlicensed motorists could be released earlier whenever the registered owner or a licensed driver is available, and if the drivers meet a certain criteria.

The city has sent home six animal shelter commanders pending a police probe into shelter vending machine contracts, the Daily News has learned.Dana Bartholomew in the Daily News,

The six captains were placed on paid administrative leave Sunday by Brenda Barnette, general manager for Los Angeles Animal Services.

All but one captain headed each of the city's six public shelters. The other captain served as the director of field operations for the San Fernando Valley.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is scheduled this week to be named as the next Convention Chair for the Democratic National Committee, sources close to the mayor confirmed on Tuesday.Daily News,

The official announcement is scheduled to be made this week and will give the mayor a prominent post at the national convention scheduled for Charlotte, North Carolina, the week of Sept. 3.

Villaraigosa would not comment on the post.

Following weeks of complaints and praise from community groups, the Los Angeles City Council Redistricting Commission will consider today more than 75 proposed changes to its draft City Council boundary map before submitting it to the council for final review. Daily News.

"It's one of those things where you cross your fingers and hope they have been listening," said Jill Barad, founder of the San Fernando Valley Alliance of Neighborhood Councils, which has criticized the most recent proposal for the way it divides up the San Fernando Valley.

The 21-member commission will meet at 4 p.m. in the City Council chambers at City Hall, where the different proposals will be debated. The commission will then give instructions on the final map to be presented to the City Council by March 1. The City Council then will have the option of accepting or modifying the proposal.

Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, announced Tuesday the launch of his campaign for city attorney, following the announcement by City Attorney Carmen Trutanich that he's running for district attorney.

"I'm running to become Los Angeles' next city attorney because the people of L.A. deserve secure neighborhoods, innovative solutions to our toughest problems and a city government that inspires confidence and trust," Feuer said.

Previously, Feuer had said he would not challenge Trutanich for the seat. But his advisors said he needs to prepare for the election.

Councilman Bernard Parks is scheduled to return to City Hall for Tuesday's meeting, after being out for more than two months for recuperation following surgery to repair an old injury, officials said.
Parks also iso expected to be sporting a beard he grew during the time off, which apparently has become a source of family discussion.
"We don't know if he will have it when he comes in," said Bernard Parks Jr., the councilman's son who serves as his chief of staff. "I know my mom sort of likes it, which is why he has ben able to have it this long."
It also will be the first time that Parks can comment on his new committee assignments ane his transfer as chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. Parks was removed by new Council President Herb Wesson in an internal councii dispute.

Democrats just can't wait to engage the Republicans in this year's election.
And, with all the attention being given to the GOP as it determines who it will nominate, the Democratic Party is announcing its own "truth squad" to try to counter some of the attacks on President Obama.
To help make it's case, specialized webistes will be created to try to engage voters _ and perhaps raise some money along the way.
In Los Angeles, the "truth team" includes City Controller Wendy Greuel, Councilman Eric Garcetti, Rep. Judy Chu of Los Angeles, Eric Bauman oft the Los Angeles County Democratic Party, Dolores Huerta of the United Farm Workers and others.

Los Angeles leaders will this week begin debating a controversial plan to radically change the way trash gets collected from businesses and apartment buildings in the city.Melissa Pamer in the Daily News.

Today, the Board of Public Works will hold the first public hearing on a proposal to move from a largely unregulated free market - one likened to the "Wild West" by critics - to a highly regulated system in which the city would select one private waste hauler to serve each of 11 geographic regions.

TipoffL Dueling security forces; Berman-Sherman debate and a shot of reenge.

Rep/ Howard Berman was able to convince the state's Democrats to stay out of his race against Rep. Brad Sherman for the new 30th Congressional District.
Demorats, meeting in San Diego, decided against an endorsement of either of the two involved i the June primary election.
Berman issued a statement claiming it as a victory.
"Tonight's outcome was just and appropriate," Berman said. "This race will now be decided on the merits of our candidacies, and I'm confident that my record of effectiveness will earn the support of the voters of the 30th Congressional District."
There was no immediate reaction available from Sherman.

There's a computer center, a creative writing table, a math area and a library.
What sounds like a traditional school campus is actually an early-education center, where pint-size preschoolers are eased into the rigors of the three R's. Barbara Jones in the Daly News.

"By the time they reach kindergarten, they have a very strong grasp of school readiness," said Sheila Hardy, the principal at the Pacoima Early Education Center, one of the 107 such facilities in Los Angeles Unified.

"They can read, they can use a pencil, the social skills are there. And these are skills that would be affected without the preschool experience."

City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, ending months of speculation and going back on his promise to voters in 2009, announced Thursday he plans to run for district attorney this year. Daily News.
Trutanich, who portrayed himself as the nonpolitician when he campaigned for city attorney against former Councilman Jack Weiss, said he decided to run in the June 5 election because of District Attorney Steve Cooley's decision against seeking a fourth term.

The 60-year-old Trutanich was in private practice and recruited by Cooley to run for city attorney.

A far-reaching plan to control development and landscaping along the Los Angeles River received approval from the City Planning Commission on Thursday, setting the stage for a testy debate as it heads to the City Council. Daily News.

The Planning Commission voted 5-0, with four members absent, to forward the L.A. River Improvement Overlay to the City Council.

"I'm a champion of this," Commission President Bill Roschen said, after an extensive public hearing. "I think as people review this it will get more and more support. To create a park of this size is unbelievable."

After almost 11 years together, Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo of Burbank hope Tuesday's court ruling in favor of gay marriage means they can soon make it official.Daily News,

The couple, who are plaintiffs in one of the lawsuits seeking to overturn Proposition 8's ban on gay marriage, were thrilled that a federal appeals court ruled the ballot measure unconstitutional.

"I was holding the hand of the person that I love and want to marry, so I think we lost a little blood flow for a minute there," said Katami, 39, referring to his anxiety waiting for the court's decision. "We're ready for the next step in equality."

After just two years on the City Council, Paul Krekorian this week takes on one its most challenging jobs - chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. Daily News,

The position has always been demanding. The committee oversees how the city spends its $6.7 billion general fund budget - from the filling of potholes to the amount of overtime paid police and firefighters.

But with Los Angeles still mired in a financial crisis that has spurred layoffs and service cuts, the chairman's job has taken on even greater importance.

Los Angeles Unified's budget deficit has swelled to $557 million, and the district faces layoffs of up to 7,500 employees and cuts to some of its most successful programs without a revenue trifecta to bring in cash, officials said Tuesday.Barbara Jones in the Daily News,

An outline of the 2012-13 financial plan set for a vote next Tuesday shows the district will have only enough state revenue to fund core K-12 programs, along with district facilities and critical health and safety services.

Lower on the list of priorities - and with no funding source guaranteed - are some of the district's most popular programs. According to officials and documents, those include adult and early-childhood education, after-school and arts programs, and even the high-profile Academic Decathlon and All District Honor Marching Band.
\

Former Mayor James K. Hahn, the only man to hold all three citywide offices over a 24-year political career, will be honored with the renaming of City Hall East after him, the City Council voted on Tuesday.Daily News

The 14-0 vote was based on a motion introduced by Hahn's sister, former Councilwoman Janice Hahn, who now serves in the U.S. Congress. Officials said they hope to have a naming ceremony within the next three months.

Hahn, who now serves as a Superior Court judge in Santa Monica, said he was honored by the decision.

Tipoff: Developer Rick Caruso talks mayoral politics, Doidgers bid. Leiweke and Rosky both stay away from Super Bowl.

VALLEY GLEN - Standing at the Vanowen Street overpass above Tujunga Wash, one can take in two distinct views. Melissa Pamer in the Daily News,

To the north is a concrete-lined channel surrounded by a bleached, barren expanse of dirt. To the south, a landscape lush with plants and chirping birds.

The green portion is about to grow.

On Monday, workers are set to begin tearing up the dirt along the channel from Vanowen Street to Sherman Way. Within five months, native trees and shrubs will be growing there, alongside a meandering man-made stream, trails and benches.

Calling on elected officials to stop budget cuts that threaten public education, thousands of Los Angeles parents and educators rallied behind a single message Saturday: Students first. | See photo gallery.C.J. Lin in the Daily News,

Local officials urged parents to demand more high-quality schools across the city, better facilities, better teachers, and equal funding for all public schools.

"Without dedicated moms and dads, we will never turn around our public school system," said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. "We can win this battle.

SUN VALLEY - Businesses along Lankershim Boulevard managed to weather the recession, but another, more insidious problem threatens the stretch of family-owned auto body shops, granite cutters and plumbing stores. Dakota Smith in the Daily News,

Prostitution is on the rise along this commercial corridor, testing the patience of store owners and their customers.

Dan Schumacher, owner of the Muds Classic Parts & Restoration, watched last fall as two prostitutes in a fistfight fell into his parked Chrysler car, causing a $1,000 dent in the fender.

Under fire from city officials and conservative activists, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck on Thursday defended his controversial plan to stop the immediate impounding of vehicles of unlicensed drivers. C.J. Lin in the Daily News,

"If I had any inkling that what we were doing is illegal or a hazard to the public, then I wouldn't do it," Beck said, adding that the plan was crafted after meetings with immigration rights groups and local prosecutorial agencies.

Under Beck's proposed new policy - which comes before the Police Commission on Feb. 14 - an unlicensed driver who is stopped by police would not be subject to an immediate 30-day impound on a first offense.

Anschutz Entertainment Group and city officials on Thursday unveiled plans for a sleek, elevated convention center hall downtown.Dakota Smith in the Daily News,

The roughly 20,000 square foot new hall is planned as part of an expansion of the Los Angeles Convention Center, first built in 1971.

Renderings presented before a city committee illustrated how the new facility - which would rise one story above Pico Boulevard, so cars could pass underneath - would connect the existing South Hall with AEG's proposed football stadium.

In a proposal that could affect the 2013 mayoral election, the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission is considering increasing the limits on campaign donations for the first time since 1985. Daily News

The commission began reviewing the issue Thursday, but public interest groups and commissioners said they wanted more time to study the proposal, which would more than double the amounts city officials can raise from donors.

City Council members are now limited to $500 per donor per election cycle, and citywide officials - mayor, controller and city attorney - can raise $1,000 per donor per election cycle.

ity Attorney Carmen Trutanich, who has raised more than $1 million for his exploratory campaign for district attorney, said Thursday he is getting closer to announcing a final decision on whether to seek the seat. Daily News.

"It will be within the next couple of weeks that there is an announcement," Trutanich said, just before a City Hall news conference on a lawsuit filed against Northern Trust Corp. for mishandling the city's pension assets.

The National Association of Latino Elected Officials will present Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with the Edward R. Roybal Award for outstanding public service at a Washington, D.C., ceremony next week.
Villaraigosa will be honored by Interior Secretary Ken Salazr, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid and Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard at the event.
Roybal, a former Los Angeles City Councilman, went on to Washington, D.C., as a congressman and each year a Latino public officials is presented with the award in his name.
Villaraigosa, who is serving out his second term as mayor, previously served as a City Council member and Assembly speaker.

Los Angeles residents could begin paying more for water next month, with the City Council's preliminary approval Wednesday of an "emergency" increase requested by DWP. Melissa Pamer in the Daily News.

The rate hike will see the average family's monthly water charges go up about $1.71, or $3.42 per bimonthly bill from the Department of Water and Power, which says it needs the money to pay for federally and state-mandated drinking water quality improvement projects.

If affirmed by a second council vote next week, the increase will appear on bills beginning in March and April.

After six months of design work, Anschutz Entertainment Group will unveil today its plans for a new convention center - part of its proposed downtown football stadium campus. Dakota Smith in the Daily News.

While the stadium has dominated the headlines, AEG sold local officials on the $1.3 billion project by offering to overhaul the convention center - a facility derided as the "white elephant."

The new design would remake the decades-old convention center and - supporters hope - lure more lucrative conventions to the city of Los Angeles.

As the city's sidewalks slip further into disrepair, Los Angeles officials on Wednesday approved a new study to determine how to pay for the estimated $1.5 billion of needed improvements. Daily News,.
The City Council's Public Works Committee authorized the Bureau of Street Services to analyze the size of the sidewalk repair backlog. Staff will also begin a survey of neighborhood councils to see if they would support a citywide bond measure, the creation of tax assessment districts or other ways to pay for fixes.

City leaders said they need options because the city can no longer afford an annual repair program amid multi-million dollar budget shortfalls.

While the city mulls an outright ban on all medical marijuana dispensaries in Los Angeles, police in the north San Fernando Valley have already essentially enacted a ban of their own, shutting down all pot shops in Northridge, Granada Hills and Chatsworth. CJ. LKin in the Daily News.

As part of a three-year crackdown, narcotics officers with LAPD Devonshire Division on Monday shuttered the last of the dispensaries in the area, arresting three owners of a Chatsworth operation on suspicion of felony possession of marijuana for sale.

Herbal Medicine Care facility in the 10100 block of Topanga Canyon Boulevard made more than $600,000 in profit last year, according to LAPD Detective Robert Holcomb. The dispensaries are required by state law to be

After an 11-month wait, Los Angeles has its first ratepayer advocate, a position tasked with reviewing Department of Water and Power rate increases to weigh in on whether they are truly needed. Melissa Pamer in the Daily News.

The City Council approval of Fred Pickel to fill the new watchdog post came on the same day a council committee recommended an emergency request from DWP for a water rate hike of 2.9 percent.

Pickel is an energy expert and consultant who had been selected from about 60 candidates earlier this month by a citizens committee.

Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to dissolve redevelopment agencies statewide takes effect today, but the 192 employees of L.A.'s agency were told to still show up for work - they'll just get their paychecks from a different source. Daily News

Instead of drawing their pay from the city, workers with the Community Redevelopment Agency of Los Angeles will be paid by the state as part of a complicated system designed to wind down operations at the 67-year-old program.

With billions of dollars in statewide redevelopment projects at stake, the process is expected to be fraught with legal and budgetary challenges.