Linking the need for immigration reform to a renewed call for officials to end raids on businesses, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa on Thursday complained that the federal government needs to revise its priorities.Daily News

"When Immigration and Custom Enforcement doesn't have the resources to go after criminal gang members, they shouldn't be targeting legitimate businesses," Villaraigosa said at a MacArthur Park news conference as demonstrators gathered for a May Day rally and march.

"It is time for the federal government to acknowledge it has a failed immigration policy and (instead) put its resources where it would do the most good."

Villaraigosa released a study prepared by the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. that examined three industries in Los Angeles that have high levels of immigrant workers - fashion, furniture manufacturing and food.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 5:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Van Nuys Congressman Howard Berman was officially named chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee today. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

The 13-term lawmaker takes the helm of the international relations panel, succeeds Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, who chaired the committee until his death in February of esophageal cancer.

Last week, Berman offered the Daily News his first public glimpse into how he hopes to steer the panel that has broad jurisdiction over U.S. relationships with foreign governments.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even as politicians these days campaign against earmarks for special pet projects, California legislators alone received more than $1 billion for such projects last year, according to new data from a nonprofit watchdog group. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

While the state's 35 Democrats collectively secured about twice as much money as California's 19 Republicans, many of the state's individual GOP lawmakers received more money than their counterparts in the majority.

Rep. Jerry Lewis, R-Redlands, whose spokesman did not respond to a request to speak to the congressman about earmarks, raked in $137.4 million - more than any other Californian, and more than all but four other members of the entire U.S. House, according to data from the Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks federal spending.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON - The San Fernando Valley remains on the map.

In a decision released today by the U.S. Census Bureau, agency officials ruled that a designation defining "America's suburb" since 2005 will remain intact. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

The verdict came after a seven-month Valley-led campaign to convince federal officials that an official Census statistical designation is critical to the region's 1.8 million residents.

``The Census Bureau made the correct decision,'' said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, who helped spearhead the campaign to save the Valley Census designation.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Intent on pumping up a flailing economy, the U.S. House on Tuesday approved a massive package of tax breaks and rebates that could make more than 2 million Los Angeles County households eligible for at least $744 million in rebates. Lisa Friiiedman in the Daily News.

The package, worth an estimated $150 billion, passed 385-35 with the support of nearly every Southern California lawmaker. It now heads to the U.S. Senate.

All told, about 13 million California households would be eligible to receive more than $11.8 billion in rebates ranging from $300 to $600 for single filers and from $600 to $1,200 for married couples filing jointly.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 5:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WASHINGTON - The state of our union is strong.

I'll drink to that. And, come tonight, so will an entire subculture of young political wonks who have turned the hallowed annual presidential State of the Union address into one big excuse for a drinking game. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

So while the pundits listen to President Bush's speech to Congress with pen and pad in hand, others will clutch shot glasses and pound whiskey every time the commander in chief utters familiar words and lines.

Phrases like "economic stimulus," "freedom is on the march," and "nuclear" will be accompanied with clinking shot glasses in common rooms and apartments across the country.
"It's an event that feels like it deserves attention. But you definitely don't want to be watching it alone," said Justin Krebs, who has hosted State of the Union drinking games for the past five years in New York City.

"It's definitely something that goes down better with a few drinks."

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles schools could lose up to $20 million - and be forced to close many of the region's school-based health clinics - under a plan by the Bush administration to stop reimbursing districts for certain Medicaid costs. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

And Los Angeles Unified School District officials, in Washington this week protesting the new Medicaid rule, are taking the lead in what is shaping up as a national fight.

Local officials said about 150 organizations, including schools, hospitals and disability-rights groups across the country, have already met to protest the changes costing more than $635 million nationally.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Howard Berman, the Van Nuys Democrat who voted to authorize the invasion of Iraq and was among the last Democrats to withdraw his support from the war, is expected to be named the next chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

The current chairman, Rep. Tom Lantos, D-San Mateo, has announced that he has cancer of the esophagus and will not seek re-election next year.

Last week, the Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor who has led the panel since 2007 quietly named Berman vice chairman of the committee and Democratic leaders acknowledge he is likely to succeed Lantos.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A hearing by U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer into the decision by the Environmental Protection Agency to reject tougher standards for vehicles by California brought forth some harsh political realities as the Bush administration enters its last year. Not much can be accomplished to change things.

Boxer was holding a hearing at Los Angeles City Hall to hear from state officials about their views of the EPA decision and what is needed.

The hearing resulted in a lot of Bush-bashing, with Attorney General Jerry Brown calling the agency "scoff-laws" showing contempt of environmental laws. Brown, joined by 14 other states, is challenging the EPA ruling in court.

But, he and Boxer later acknowledged it might not be until a new administration takes office that things will change.

Brown said he does not know how long it will take to get through the courts _ particularly if the administration decides to fight the case _ while Boxer said she didn't believe it will be possible to get 60 votes in the Senate to override the EPA decision.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 1:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wary employers clamped down on hiring and pushed the unemployment rate to a two-year high of 5percent in December, an ominous sign that the economy might slide into recession. President Bush explored a rescue package, including a tax cut, with his economic advisers. AP in the Daily News.

Gripped by uncertainty, government and private employers last month added the fewest new jobs to their payrolls in more than four years. In fact, employment at private companies alone actually declined. The Labor Department's report, released Friday, provided evidence of an economy greatly strained by a housing slump and a credit crunch.

The disappointing employment figures sent Wall Street into a nose dive, thrust the White House into damage control and ratcheted up the blame game as Republicans and Democrats battle for the presidency. The employment numbers also sparked expectations that the Federal Reserve will have to lower interest rates again. As expected, the Fed took action to make cash more available to bank,

Posted by Rick Orlov at 5:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

NASA grudgingly released some results Monday from an $11.3 million federal air safety study it previously withheld from the public over concerns it would upset travelers and hurt airline profits. The data reflects hundreds of cases where pilots flew too close to other planes, plunged from altitude or landed at airports without clearance. AP in the Daily News.

NASA published the findings - contained in 16,208 pages - but did not provide a roadmap to understand them, making it cumbersome for any thorough analysis by outsiders. Released on New Year's Eve, the unprecedented research conducted over nearly four years relates to safety problems identified by some 25,000 commercial pilots and more than 4,000 private pilots interviewed by telephone.

The results from commercial pilots appeared to reflect in part at least 1,266 incidents in which aircraft flew within 500 feet of each other, generally considered a near miss; at least 1,312 cases where pilots suddenly dropped or climbed inadvertently more than 300 feet in flight; and 166 reports of pilots landing without clearance at an airport with an active control tower. The Associated Press matched the data to the questionnaire that was used to interview pilots and was obtained separately by the AP.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Howard Berman has introduced legislation that would require radio stations to compensate performers for songs played over the airwaves.Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

But broadcasters insist the legislation - which lawmakers are likely to consider this year - would be the death knell for radio.

"If passed, this could threaten the survival of local radio stations, would reduce the quality of their programming and would almost certainly reduce diversity in radio," Cathy Rought, spokeswoman for the Free Radio Alliance, warned in a statement.

At issue is an 80-year-

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Citing changes in its housing agency, Los Angeles officials announced Monday that $72 million in new federal funding has been awarded to the city for its efforts to deal with the homeless. Daily News.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the Department of Housing and Urban Development made the award to the city's Shelter Plus Care program.

"This is a watershed moment in L.A.'s effort to end homelessness," Villaraigosa said. "This is proof that when you set a goal, major change and progress can occur."

Posted by Rick Orlov at 4:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Millions of dollars for Southern California projects are poised for approval in a massive federal spending bill that cleared a key hurdle in the Senate on Tuesday. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Just days away from being finalized, the $516 billion spending bill includes funds for dozens of regional projects including cleanup at the Santa Susana Field Laboratory site and reimbursement for the costs of incarcerating illegal immigrants.

It also clears away the last federal obstacles to tunneling a "subway to the sea" through West Los Angeles.

Cramming together 11 of the year's 12 appropriations measures into a single package, it includes a controversial $70billion for the Iraq war that the White House had sought.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, that didn't take long. Last Sunday we asked for a little help with the housing mess.

The Big Daddy of All Lifelines arrived on Thursday, courtesy of big government teaming with big lenders so more than 1 million homeowners can keep their heads above roiling financial waters. Gregory J. Wilcox in the Daily News.

It was damage control from the nation's capital for about 1.2 million homeowners with subprime loans that may turn into foreclosures.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Bush acknowledges it's "no perfect solution." Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says it's "no silver bullet." Associated Press in the Daily News.

The plan negotiated by the Bush administration to freeze the low introductory rates on subprime home loans appears likely to help only a fraction of the homeowners who face huge jumps in their mortgage payments.

Homeowners dialing up their mortgage company to get their current rate frozen could be disappointed. The White House plan doesn't force mortgage companies to give eligible homeowners a break. It is voluntary.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 5:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The House voted Tuesday to begin extending federal protection to more than a half-million acres of mountains and canyons surrounding the San Fernando, La Crescenta, Santa Clarita, Simi and Conejo valleys. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

The bill, known as the Rim of the Valley Study Act, directs the secretary of the Interior Department to examine expansion of the Santa Monica National Recreation Area.

Ultimately, supporters hope the National Park Service will embrace the open space and ecological resources.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Southland Democrats split this morning on a free-trade bill with Peru.

The measure, which passed 285-132, strengthened protections for workers and the environment. Democrat critics, however, said the protections can't be enforced.

Voting against it were: Rep. Joe Baca, D-Rialto; Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs; Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard, D-Los Angeles; Rep. Linda Sanchez, D-Lakewood; Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks; Rep. Hilda Solis, D-El Monte; Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles; and Rep. Diane Watson, D-Los Angeles.

Voting to approve it were: Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles; Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys; Jane Harman, D-El Segundo; Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena; and Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles.

Southern California's Republican delegation voted unanimousy in favor of the trade pact.

Becerra, who helped lead the floor debate, praised the measure as important for Los Angeles.

"Los Angeles is one of our engines on trade. To some degree its health lives and dies by how we do commercially. But trade won't be good for L.A. if it comes at the expense of good jobs,'' Becerra said. The bill, he maintained, "tries to respect and defend people as much as it does products."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congress is poised to rebuff President Bush for the first time today with an expected override of his veto of $23 billion for federal flood-control, ecosystem-restoration and water-infrastructure projects. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.
The move comes as 131 House GOP lawmakers voted earlier this week to override Bush's veto. Each has projects in the Water Resources Development Act, which includes more than $1.3 billion for California and $25 million to restore the Los Angeles River.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, speaking in Washington on Monday, said Congress has taken a "commonsensical approach" by pulling consideration of the Armenian genocide resolution.

Erdogan, who met with President Bush for about an hour at the White House and then spoke with journalists at the National Press Club, said Turkey views the delay of the bill "with cautious optimism."

Turkey strongly objects to the resolution by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, which calls on the U.S. to recognize the massacres and deportations of Armenians in post-World War I Ottoman Turkey as genocide. The resolution passed the House Foreign Relations Committee, but caused a firestorm as it moved to the House floor.

Turkey threatened to close critical supply routes to U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan if the bill passed, prompting several lawmakers to withdraw their support for it. Schiff ultimately decided he no longer had the votes to pass the resolution and asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay consideration until at least next year.

Said Erdogan, ``The political judgement of Turkey is sad for us to see.''

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California's share of federal spending has sunk to its lowest level in decades, the apparent result of war dollars shifting from air defense to ground weapons. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

New Census Bureau statistics for 2005, the latest figures available, show that the share of federal spending in the Golden State dipped to 10.8 percent from 11 percent.

While it's a tiny dip in percentage points, economists said it represents a significant symbolic drop.

The waning numbers are being driven by a decline in the share of federal procurement funds being funneled to California, said Tim Ransdell, executive director of the California Institute for Federal Policy Research.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 2:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein is seeking $1 billion in emergency fire suppressing funding.

She also told the Daily News on Friday that she intends to convene hearings on federal fire suppression policies and what she described as perennially insufficient funds for hazardous mitigation throughout the country.

"We keep borrowing from other line items to meet the fire need," Feinstien said. "We can not keep going the way we're going."

In a letter to the heads of the House and Senate appropriations committees, she called the requested funding "critical to support firefighting activities and reduce the risk of fires on our nation's public lands and in the communities that surround them."

Specifically she asked for: $225 million to repay money borrowed by the Interior Department and Forest Service for emergency firefighting activities, and $775 million for suppression, hazardous fuels reduction, restoration and reconstruction.

Feinstein said she spoke personally to President Bush about the need for funding while the two toured fire-ravaged regions.

"He did not commit," Feintsein said. But, she added, "I believe he'll think about it."

Feinstein chairs the Interior and Environment subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee. She signed the letter with her counterpart from the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Norm Dicks of Washington state.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A bill to keep groundwater clean in the San Gabriel Valley passed a key House subcommittee this week.

The San Gabriel Basin Water Quality Initiative adds $50 million to the San Gabriel Basin Restoration Fund to help clean perchlorate and other toxins in Southern California drinking water.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. David Dreier, R-Glendora, and supported by Reps. Grace Napolitano, D-City of Industry; Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar; Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena; and Hilda Solis, D-El Monte.

The measure passed the House Water and Power Subcommittee with a unanimous vote and now moves to the full committee.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 8:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles Rep. Henry Waxman is urging the Federal Trade Commission to launch an investigation into the risks of peer-to-peer file sharing networks.

Acknowledging that sites like Limewire and Kazaa "have the potential to deliver innovative and lawful applications that will enhance business and academic endeavors, reduce transaction costs and increase available bandwidth,'' Waxman also labled the sites as potentiall dangerous. In some cases personal financial information and other sensitive documents can be inadvertently shared along with music and movie files.

Along with 18 other lawmakers he warned that disclosures on such sites could lead to identity theft and asked asked the agency to ensure that consumers are aware of the risks associated with file sharing.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 8:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Even as a fierce battle brews in Congress over Republican opposition to a $35 billion expansion of children's health insurance, California's heavily gerrymandered election districts mean Southland GOP lawmakers face little political risk over their stance. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Every Southern California Republican voted against the bill last month, which would add as many as 3.1 million more children to health-insurance rolls nationwide, including about 203,320 in the Golden State.

And furious Democrats, preparing for a Thursday vote to override President George W. Bush's rejection of the measure, are mounting a campaign against GOP lawmakers who oppose the plan.

But Southland Republicans have little to fear from the attack ads and phone campaigns, California political analysts said.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Turkey is already reacting strongly to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee's vote to declare the 1915-1923 massacre of Armenians a genocide, with the country's leading newspapers suggesting America examine its own house before casting judgement on other nations.

In a 23-page photo spread this morning, the secular-centrist daily Hurriyet posted graphic photos of American soldiers threatening naked prisoners with snarling dogs; standing over naked prisoners bound together on the prison floor; and dozens of other shots of bloodied bodies lying in the rubble of Iraq.

Meanwhile, the also-influential Milliyetpaper is broadcasting its own shots of an Iraqi woman cowering on the floor before a U.S. soldier and dead bodies on stretchers.

In both papers, the headlines translate loosely to: Look who is saying 'genocide.'

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The U.S. House approved legislation today by Los Angeles Democrat Rep. Diane Watson to establish a film series to promote international diplomacy and funding to build new State Department libraries that are open to the public.

Watson, a former ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia, said providing people across the world access to information about the United States and their own nations can be ``a testament to the principle that the greatest tool we have against tyranny is the truth.''

The bill also establishes a “Johnny Grant Film Series” named after the television and radio personality known as the “Mayor of Hollywood.” Watson said the film series "would provide the United States Government with the opportunity to show the world the optimism and promise of America as portrayed in our classic films.”

The measure passed unanimously on a voice vote.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 6:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

With the House Committee on Foreign Affairs voting today on declaring the massacre of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey genocide, a Southland congresswoman is coming under fire for flip-flopping on the emotionally charged resolution. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Although she co-sponsored it, Rep. Jane Harman last week wrote to the chairman of the committee urging him not to bring the resolution to a vote and declaring that she will vote against it if it reaches the floor.

Amid shouts of "genocide denier" and "You are a hypocrite and liar," the El Segundo Democrat defended her letter Saturday to about 70 Armenian students who confronted her at a political rally in Lakewood.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As hundreds of thousands of homeowners nationwide face potential foreclosure, a heated battle is brewing in Congress over how to address the subprime mortgage meltdown. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

The mortgage woes are hitting California particularly hard, with 57,875 of the nation's 243,947 foreclosures in August being filed in the Golden State, according to the Irvine-based RealtyTrac Inc.

Los Angeles County accounted for nearly 12,000 of the month's foreclosures.

But while legislation moved forward last week to allow judges to modify the terms of a home's first mortgage in a bankruptcy proceeding, it faced fierce objections from Republicans who said it would drive up interest rates.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some of the world's leading genocide scholars are urging Congress to formally declare the massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey after World War I a genocide.

In a letter to the leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which will vote next week on a resolution recognizing the genoicde, members of the International Association of Genocide Scholars said this morning that passing the bill would be "affirming the truth about a genocide that has been overwhelmingly established by decades of documentation and scholarship."

The bill by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, passed the committee last year but the then-Republican leadership blocked it from coming to the House floor. But Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged her committment to the resolution, and supporters said they hope to see it come to a vote this year.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What they're eating over at the White House tonight to mark the breaking of the fast of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month:

THE WHITE HOUSE

OFFICE OF THE FIRST LADY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 4, 2007

MENU FOR IFTAAR DINNER

Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup

Pumpkin Oil

Crispy Lavash

Spiced Rack of Lamb

Lemon-thyme Jus

Early Autumn Vegetables

Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Minted Yogurt

Baklava with Pomegranate

Mamoul Cookies

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What they're eating over at the White House tonight to mark the breaking of the fast of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month:

THE WHITE HOUSE

OFFICE OF THE FIRST LADY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 4, 2007

MENU FOR IFTAAR DINNER

Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup

Pumpkin Oil

Crispy Lavash

Spiced Rack of Lamb

Lemon-thyme Jus

Early Autumn Vegetables

Cucumber-Tomato Salad

Minted Yogurt

Baklava with Pomegranate

Mamoul Cookies

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A Southland lawmaker's bill that would amp up penalties for gang crime and pour millions of dollars into prevention programs got a mixed reception Tuesday as critics split over the best way to fight street violence. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Two criminal-justice researchers opposed the bill by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, saying it relies too heavily on law enforcement responses that studies show have only a limited impact on crime.

"I don't hear much support for this bill," Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, told the House Judiciary Committee.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the first time in congressional history, the House today recognized the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Van Nuys, led debate on the resolution, saying Islam has been twisted out of context since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The bill, Sherman said, shows "the deep respect we all feel for Muslims around the United States and the world."

It passed 376-0, with 42 members _ all but one Republican _ voting "present."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will vote next week on a resolution acknowledging the massacre of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey after World War I as genocide.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, has been pushing for a floor vote on the bill, which passed the committee overwhelmingly last year but was blocked by the then-Republican leadership. The bill must go through the panel once again, but stands a much better chance than ever before of reaching a full House vote.

“The United States has a compelling historical and moral reason to recognize the Armenian Genocide, which cost a million and a half people their lives," Schiff said in a statement this morning, adding. "We also have a powerful contemporary reason as well -- how can we take effective action against the genocide in Darfur if we lack the will to condemn genocide whenever and wherever it occurs?”

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congress' Golden State members are among the growing chorus calling for more transparency in the federal budget process - but some insist on keeping their own requests for pet projects shrouded in secrecy. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Eight of Southern California's 15 lawmakers refused a Daily News request last week to supply their list of earmark requests and explain how they hope to spend federal tax dollars in the coming year.

"It shows at least some level of contempt for their constituents," said Steve Ellis, spokesman for the watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks, is introducing a resolution calling for a three-state solution in Iraq.

The nonbinding measurel is similar to one that Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Joe Biden, passed in the Senate earlier this week to break Iraq into Kurdish, Sunni and Shia sections.

But, Gallegly spokesman Thomas Pfeifer said, the congressman has been considering the concept of federalized regions for years -- on his own.

``They are simpatico, but he's not doing it because Biden did,'' Pfeifer said of the resolution.

Gallegly's bill calls for Iraq to remain unified but for Shiites, Sunis and Kurds to be granted powers in federal regiosn to conduct most day-to-day government functions. The central government would be in charge of national issues like the sharing of oil revenue and foriegn policy.

“Sectarian violence is a major component of instability in Iraq, and I believe the creation of federal districts along sectarian lines would greatly reduce the violence,” Gallegly said in a statement. “Our military success in Iraq coupled with a political solution will resolve the divisions and lead to long-term security in that country.”

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Getting a Senate vote on the "Dream Act" bill granting illegal immigrant students a shot at legalization is becoming a nightmare for supporters, who said this week they have been besieged by angry faxes and phone calls. Lisa Friedman and Connie Llanos in the Daily News.

Activists said illegal immigration hard-liners have mobilized against the bill. A vote that had been tentatively scheduled for last week was forced off the table, and now advocates said the bill might not see the light of day until next week.

"We still have a good chance of getting a vote, but opponents have made it very clear they will use any and every tool at their disposal," said Josh Bernstein, federal policy director for the National Immigration Law Center.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 8:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California taxpayers have foot the Iraq War bill to the tune of $57.8 billion so far -- nearly 13 percent of the total war spending, according to a liberal anti-war group that has broken down war spending state-by-state.

The National Priorities Project estimates come as Congress is considering a $147 billion Department of Defense spending bill. The group estimates that if that and other war-related funding requests are approved, California's share of Iraq spending will mount to $78.1 billion.

That's more than any other state -- hardly a surprise, given California's population size.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Department of Education this morning announced millions of dolalrs to Hispanic-serving institutions in Southern California.

The money is part if $17.2 million in grant funding aimed at expanding educational opportunities at colleges and other post-secondary school that serve a large number of Hispanic students.

Among the local recipients:

- University of LaVerne: $483,500
- California State University of San Bernardino: $499,994
- Valley Glen, Los Angeles Valley College: $570,693.
- Ventura College: $574,011.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman is fuming over apparent stonewalling at the State Department in response to his inquiries surrounding corruption in the Maliki government.

The Los Angeles Democrat congressman fired off a letter this morning to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice blasting her for an agency directive forbidding officials to discuss corruption in the Iraqi governmetn unless the committee agreed to treat all of the information as classified, and for her personal refusal to testify.

In addition, he noted that the private security firm Blackwater under scrutiny for alleged use of excessive force, informed hte panel that the State Department ordered it not to turn over documents without agency approval.

``I urge you to reconsider the unusual positions you are taking," Waxman said. "You are wrong to interfere with the Committee's inquiry."

State Department spokesman Curtis Cooper refused to comment, saying he hasn't seen Waxman's letter. But when a reporter offered to e-mail it to him, Cooper declined.

"I still won't have a response," he said.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, blasted the United Nations Human Rights Council on Tuesday for condemning Israel while ignoring abuses throughout the rest of the world.

Calling the Council’s treatment of Israel ``hypocritical,’’ Berman said the group _ made up of countries with questionable human rights records themselves _ spend ``an inordinate amount of time vilifying Israel’’ while remaining silent on abuses from Uzbekistan to Zimbabwe.

``It has passed one-sided resolutions condemning Israeli human right violations in the Palestinian territories, called several `extraordinary’ sessions on Israeli actions in Lebanon and Gaza, and appointed successive `rapporteurs’ to investigate alleged Israeli `war crimes,’’’ he said.

Berman spoke as the House considered a resolution condemning the council. It passed 416-2.

Berman ``I stand here to criticize the Human Rights Council, simply because I know the UN can do better,’’ Berman said. ``I believe that while the Council is still in its infancy, we can help ensure that it develops into a respected and forceful champion of human rights—not simply another proxy in the vitriolic campaign against Israel.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is announcing that a second Mexican trucking company has been given the green light to participate in a controversial pilot project allowing them free access to American highways.

IBC Inc., based in San Diego, as well as Transportes Rafa, based in Baja, Mexico, both have been given authority for long-haul trips.

The DOT approved the project September 6, but its future is unclear Both the House and Senate have passed language in the transportation funding bill prohibiting the pilot project from going forward. The trucks keep rolling, though, pending President Bush's signature.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The U.S. Department of Transportation is announcing that a second Mexican trucking company has been given the green light to participate in a controversial pilot project allowing them free access to American highways.

IBC Inc., based in San Diego, as well as Transportes Rafa, based in Baja, Mexico, both have been given authority for long-haul trips.

The DOT approved the project September 6, but its future is unclear Both the House and Senate have passed language in the transportation funding bill prohibiting the pilot project from going forward. The trucks keep rolling, though, pending President Bush's signature.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

New legislation by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein would require that all retailers who sell decongestant medication to be trained in federal anti-meth laws.

While current law requires that stores selling medication that contain pseudoephedrine certify that their employees are trained, the Drug Enforcement Agency recently estimated that thousands of establishments have failed to do so, Feinstein said.

Under the propopsed bill, distributors could only sell pseudoephedrine products to retailers who have filed self-certifications with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). These certifications attest to the fact that their employees are trained and in compliance with the Combat Meth Act.

Feinstein called it "plugging a hole" in the current law.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The job market took a serious and unexpected turn for the worse last month, raising the risk of a recession and putting added pressure on the Federal Reserve to move more aggressively to keep the ailing housing industry from infecting the rest of the economy.New York Times in the Daily News..

The Labor Department reported Friday that 4,000 jobs were lost from July to August, and the deepest cuts were in industries connected to the housing market, such as construction and manufacturing. It was the first employment decline since 2003, when the job market was still struggling to emerge from the slump after the 2001 recession.

The jobs report all but guarantees that the Fed will cut its benchmark short-term interest rate when its policy-making committee next meets, Sept. 18. A quarter-point reduction, to 5 percent, remains the most likely move, although a half-point cut should not ruled out, economists said.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Van Nuys Democratic Rep. Howard Berman is at the center of multibillion-dollar legislation before the House today that pits the high-tech industry against drug companies and manufacturers over arcane changes to the rules of patent law. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Determined to enact the first sweeping changes to patent law in half a century to a system he describes as outdated and rife with abuse, Berman, of Sherman Oaks, on Thursday said he has spent the past several days in intense negotiations with university researchers, biotechnology leaders and union officials whose opposition threatened to block the bill.

The result Thursday was a series of compromises that won over both the AFL-CIO and major universities, including the University of California.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Democratic presidential contender Bill Richardson breezed through Los Angeles today to hit the ATM machine -- fundraise, that is.

The New Mexico governor is making one public appearance - at the AIDS wall in Los Angeles -- before heading to Orange County for another round of fundraisers.

"This state has always been very good to me in terms of fundraising,'' Richardson said. "I'm not like the other candidates that are billionaire candidates."

Richardson polled a dismal 3 percent among California's likelly Democratic voters according to an August field poll, but the candidate tonight said he feels his stock rising in the state. He's focusing strongly on the war, and chastized Democratis in Congress for what he called a "meek" opposition to President Bush.

"Congress is being very meek in calling for benchmarks and funding cuts and semi-troop withdrawls," he said. "I'm very disappointed that they're not more aggressive."

He called on lawmakers to deauthorize the war under the War Powers Act of 1973 and bring all U.S. troops home immediately.

"The basis for that authorization is not there anymore," he said. "A national movement could be brought to bear on reauthorizing the war."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 8:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A congressional hearing examining a failing Iraq report card turned snippy Wednesday as Republicans moved to discredit government investigators as incompetent to make military assessments.

The report by the Government Accountability Office -- formerly the General Accounting Office -- found that the Iraqi government met three of 18 mostly political benchmarks, partially met four and failed to meet 11. Democrats have siezed on the findings to counter what they believe will be a more positive White House report later this month.

Republicans, meanwhile, noted that GAO investigators have no military experience and questioned whether bean-counteres should be examining the war and reconstruction effort.

"Generally people go to their accountaint not for leadership policy, but for auditing numbers,'' Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach/Long Beach told GAO Chief David Walker.

"I'm not saying you're out of your realm of experience,'' added Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida. But, she added "I just feel uncomfortable listening to a report by a government accounting office about our war effort."

Walker defended the integrity of the report and the investigators' qualifications. He also managed to get in a potshot of his own -- telling lawmakers who noted his lack of military experience, "It is my understanding that Secretary of Defense Gates does not have military experience either."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 3:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

While illegal-immigrant advocates and hard-liners warn that Congress' repeated failure to pass immigration law could have dire consequences for the economy, one industry is profiting handsomely from the political gridlock. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

Since 2004, lobbyists on K Street have raked in more than $8 million from companies and trade organizations seeking help bending Congress members' ears on immigration issues.

The number of firms seeking help from former Capitol Hill and White House insiders has nearly doubled in the same time, and spending has soared to $2.5 million for the first six months of this year alone.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 7:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Longtime Los Angeles Democratic operative Mitchell Schwartz has jumped on the Obama train.

The founder of the Bombay Company public relations firm, which coordinated the online media campaign for former Vice President Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, Schwartz will serve as California State Director for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

In a statement Thursday, Schwartz praised the Illinois senator for opposing the Iraq war ``from the start,’’ adding, ``it’s not enough to change parties, we’ve got to transform politics.’’

Schwartz has worked on nearly every presidential campaign since 1984, and served in 1992 as Bill Clinton’s New Hampshire state director. He also served on campaigns for Sen. Barbara Boxer, former Gov. Gray Davis and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villraigosa.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo has demanded the Customs and Border Patrol brief her in Washington next week on the glitch that left thousands of travelers stranded at LAX this weekend.

``At a time of heightened risk, it is critical to screen visitors entering our country, but our systems must be fully functional and such glitches are completely unacceptable,’’ she said.

Harman chairs the Homeland Security subcommittee on Intelligence. The briefing will be in conjunction with the Homeland Security subcommittee on Border Security.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 8:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The White House has bowed to congressional pressure and withdrawn the nomination of Richard Hoagland to be ambassador to Armenia.

New Jersey Democrat Sen. Robert Menendez had placed a hold on Hoagland’s nomination in January because the career diplomat refused to call the World War I-era massacre of Armenians in the former Ottoman Empire a genocide.

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena, a strong supporter of the Armenian community, on Friday praised the White House for withdrawing Hoagland’s nomination.

``During his confirmation hearings, Mr. Hoagland continued to deny that the massacre of a million and a half Armenians between 1915 and 1923 was genocide, thereby compounding the injury done to the Armenian people.’’

Hoagland’s predecessor, John Evans, referred to the killings as genocide in a speech at University of California, Berkeley and shortly thereafter was recalled from his post.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

House Republicans are seething this morning over a contentious vote on illegal immigration.

The late-night motion on the 2008 agriculture spending bill would have sent the measure back to the committee level while also amending it to bar the use of federal funds to provide housing for illegal immigrants. The Republican motion had won, 215-213 when the gavel fell, but then shouting erupted as Democrats tried to change the vote.

On Friday House Republicans were still fuming and said the anger is about taxpayer dollars, not parliamentary procedure.

``There are people in this town that are willing to break the rules just so illegal aliens can get benefits,’’ San Diego Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray said at a press conference moments to go.

``There’s going to be hell to pay this summer over this issue,’’ he warned. ``This just goes to show why the American people don’t trust Washington to do the right thing on illegal immigration.’’

Democrats ultimately passed the bill by 237-18 on a vote boycotted by most Republicans, including Reps. Howard ``Buck’’ McKeon, D-Santa Clarita; David Dreier, R-Glendale; Jerry Lewis, R-San Bernardino; Gary Miller, R-Diamond Bar; and Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach. Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks, voted against the bill.

Gallegly this morning stood by his decision to cast a vote while the majority of his GOP colleagues walked off the House floor

"I came here to vote on issues and to legislate," he said. "I don’t walk away from votes."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 8:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Elton Gallegly is continuing his work fighting animal cruelty, introducing new legislation today banning dog fighting as well as any tools associated with it, while also allowing private citizens to sue anyone alleged to be in violation the law.

The bill comes on the heels of the Animal Prohibition Enforcement Act, another Gallegly bill that President Bush signed into law in May. That measure made it a felony to transport an animal across state lines for the purpose of fighting.

Under the new measure, dog fighters would face up to five years in jail and a $250,000 fine. Gallegly on Thursday said the bill aims at penalizing spectators as well as those involved in the fight trade, and removing economic incentives.

"Other crimes often go hand-in-hand with animal fighting, including illegal gambling and drug trafficking," Gallegly said. "In the last six months, virtually every reported arrest at an animal fight also led to additional arrests for at least one of these criminal activities."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A push by Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys to make sure that singers are paid royalties when their songs are played on the radio has spurred a new opposition group.

The organization, calling itself the Free Radio Alliance, so far consists of 30 members and opposes what it calls a ``performance tax’’ that would cost as much as $7 billion and likely kill small stations.

Under a 1909 law, broadcast radio is exempt from paying royalties to performers, though royalties are paid to composers. In 1995 Congress ruled that Internet, satellite and cable stations should compensate singers and now is looking to eliminate the radio exemption.

The performers may have star power on their side _ a recent hearing on the topic featured ``Send in the Clowns’’ singer Judy Collins and ``Soul Man’’ crooner Sam Moore, but the radio interests are backed by the powerful National Association of Broadcasters.

Stay tuned for a big fight…

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Bush is threatening to veto $25 million for the restoration of the Los Angeles River and millions of dollars for other water projects throughout the country.

The L.A. River revitalization project is part of a nearly $21 billion Water Resources Development Act that lawmakers hope will pass before lawmakers leave town for a month-long August recess. But the White House on Wednesday said the bill spends at least $5 billion too much.

``Indeed, it seems a $14 billion Senate bill went into conference with the House’s $15 billion bill and somehow a bill emerged costing approximately $20 billion,’’ Office of Management and Budget officials wrote in a letter to Congress.

``This is not how most Americans would expect their representatives in Washington to reach agreement, especially when it is their tax dollars that are being spent,’’ the White House wrote.

Sen. Barbara Boxer, who has worked to shepherd the contentious legislation through Congress, noted that a water bill of this type has been stalled for seven years.

``If the president chooses to veto this bill, I expect we will override that veto in the Senate,’’ she said.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The House is now on its way to toward passing a $50 billion expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program after a day of GOP-led delaying tactics.

Southland Republicans voted unanimously in favor of two motions to adjourn, as well as for a motion `approving the journal' -- essentially, signing off on the previous' days record of events. By offering the motions in the first place, Republicans forced a roll call vote, which essentially ate up debate time.

The Bush administration has vowed to veto the children's health insurance bill. The White House and Republican officials say they want the program to continue but at more modest levels.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Bush may look into the souls of world leaders, but California Sen. Barbara Boxer prefers reading body language. And when she watches Bush, Boxer told reporters this morning, she sees "hatred" and "disdain" toward the legislative branch.

Lambasting Bush for having issued "signing statements" on more than 750 new laws, declaring that he has the power to set aside provisions in them, Boxer said the president's contempt for Congress is reaching "a crush point."

"I just hope he gets over his hatred of this Congress, because it's seething through him. I've watched him. I know body language," Boxer said. "I've never seen such a disdain for Congress."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 7:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The cost of becoming a U.S. citizen rose dramatically this week, but new legislation by a northern California Democrat could stop the fee hike in its tracks.

The bill by Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose would void the new fee structure entirely.

Under the new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, the fee to apply for naturalization rose from $400 to $675. Meanwhile, prospective permanent residents must pay more than $1,000 instead of the current $300.

Lofgren, who chairs the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, said she fears the new fees put citizenship out of the reach of many people, and that the agency should be more concerned with reducing its staggering backlog.

``Our immigration services need to move into the 21st century,’’ she said. But, she added, ``USCIS has consistently failed to explain or justify the amounts and distributions of this new fee increase.”

The government maintains the fees are necessary to improve service.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 6:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced Tuesday sh intends to hold hearings into new reports of weak security in electronic voting machines.

The announcement came on the heels of a University of California report that found scientists successfully compromised security on systems manufactured by Diebold Electronic Systems, Hart InterCivic and Sequoia Voting Systems.

Feinstein said the hearings will be scheduled for sometime in September.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, a longtime proponent of tough sanctions against Iran, applauded Tuesday passage of legislation he cosponsored giving legal protections to investment managers who pull money out of the country’s energy sector.

Congress passed the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act 415-11, with Southland lawmakers of both parties voting unanimously for it.

Sherman called the measure part of a strategy to isolate the Iranian regime.

``Divestment is a key element in our strategy to put diplomatic and economic pressure on Tehran until it has given up its pursuit of nuclear weapons and curtails its support for terror,’’ he said.

The measure requires that the government regularly publish a list of firms that have $20 million or more invested in Iran’s energy sector, that sell arms to Tehran or that loan $20 million or more to the country. States would be authorized to divest from those firms. Meanwhile, pension fund and mutual fund managers who chose to divest would be shielded from lawsuits.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 6:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It's been four years since Dixie Chicks lead vocalist Natalie Maines criticized President Bush, but apparently those Southern gals can still make Republicans mad.

At a hearing Tuesday to examine the performance royalty system that allows broadcast radio to air songs without compensating the singers, Florida Republican Rep. Ric Keller said he objects to paying increased rates for political advertising on his local station "to make sure the Dixie Chicks have higher profits."

Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys, who was leading the hearing, tried to tame his GOP counterpart's fears.

"If it's any consolation, Mr. Keller, it's my guess that the radio stations you will be advertising on are probably boycotting the Dixie Chicks,'' Berman said.

"I hope so," Keller replied, though his words were largely drowned out by laughter.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein lashed out at a television reporter who dared to raise a question over Sen. Hillary Clinton's endorsement from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and his recently exposed marital infidelity.

The question about Villaraigosa came as Feinstein officially endorsed Clinton for president. Clinton, asked in a telephone press conference how she feels about mayor’s endorsement given his acknowledged extra-marital activity with Telemundo reporter Mirthala Salinas, almost didn’t get the chance to respond.

“This is Dianne Feinstein,’’ California’s senior senator piped in.``I’m surprised at your for that question. My goodness. Hillary is running for president of the United States. She doesn’t need to get
into this.’’

When the reporter did not back down, Clinton offered her own perspective _ not as a the cheated-upon wife she has been, but ratheras the politician she is.

Noting she has spoken with Villaraigosa since the affair become public, Clinton said, `I think his work on behalf of the many issues that I care about is very significant, and I will continue to welcome his support.”

--From Lisa Friedman

Posted by Rick Orlov at 10:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

ON - San Fernando Valley leaders have mounted a sweeping public-relations effort to keep America's suburb on the U.S. Census map. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

In a hefty packet of letters and petitions delivered Wednesday to the U.S. Census Bureau, area leaders urged the agency to abandon its plan to wipe out the nationwide category under which the Valley was recently granted federal statistical status.

"We mobilized on this one," said Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, who helped lead the fight to get the Valley its own statistical designation in 2005 and now is spearheading the effort to save it.

The Census Bureau says few people use the data culled from Census County Divisions, or CCDs, the statistical category under which the Valley was granted its federal status.

In August, the agency moved to eliminate the category altogether. A final decision likely won't be made until next year, a Census Bureau official said.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whether they believe the U.S. mission in Iraq can still succeed or that U.S. troops should be withdrawn, Southern California lawmakers who voted for the war four years ago say they still stand by their decision. Lisa Friedman in the Daily News.

As they voted last week on a resolution calling for troop withdrawal, Democrats and Republicans alike defended their vote to bring the country into war in October 2002, saying they authorized the use of force based on the best information available at the time.

"I voted for (war) because I thought Saddam Hussein had chemical and biological weapons, I thought he was trying to get nuclear weapons and the sanctions regime was collapsing around us. Those premises were wrong," said Rep. Howard Berman, D-Van Nuys.

Once a strong supporter of the war and among the last Democrats to break with President George W. Bush on Iraq, Berman was among 221 lawmakers who voted in favor of Thursday's resolution that set an April 2008 target date for withdrawal.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 6:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California lawmakers have long accused the Environmental Protection Agency of dragging its feet in deciding whether the state can have a waiver to enact its landmark 2002 emissions control law.

Now Sen. Barbara Boxer has a plan to make the agency start hopping.

Legislation introduced today would force the agency to make a decision regarding California’s waiver request within 30 days of passage of the legislation. It also mandates the agency decide within 180 days any future waiver requests from California’s motor vehicles program.

The bill was introduced with Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., as Florida officials prepared to also enact strict greenhouse gas laws. Sen. Dianne Feinstein also co-sponsored the bill.

EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson will testify before Boxer’s Committee on the Environment and Public Works on July 26. In addition to discussing California’s waiver request, he also is expected to face tough questions about Transportation Department officials who lobbied lawmakers to fight the state’s waiver.

Said Boxer, ``Administrator Johnson has been clearly put on notice that EPA should long ago have granted California’s waiver to regulate global warming pollution from cars.’’

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, R-Santa Clarita joined up Wednesday with fellow hawks to fight proposed cuts to missile defense.

He is among 35 lawmakers in the newly-formed Missile Defense Caucus, created in response to cuts to the Pentagon’s $3.8 billion Airborne Laser program. The House of Representatives recently voted to slash $250 million from President Bush’s $549 million budget request, a decrease that the Boeing Corp. – the program’s prime contractor – would set it back as much as three years.

“The proposed drastic cuts to the defense budget could cost our country more than we are willing to pay in the negative impacts to our safety, security, and preservation," McKeon said. "I joined this Caucus because I will not stand by without working to salvage the technology we have built."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

TV comedy creative genius Norman Lear is targeting his political efforts at the youngest of eligible voters, aiming to get every 18 year old possible to register to vote by the deadline for the 2008 presidential election.

Lear, founder of People for the American Way, no doubt would be pleased if the majority of those first-timers cast their ballots for the Democratic nominee, but his new online public service campaign is a non-partisan goose in the backsides of complacent teens to get involved and take a stand, whatever that may be.

Toward that end, he's enlisted Ben Garrant and Thomas Lennon of "Reno 911!" to appear in a series of Declare Yourself spots as, together, The Man: A pair of slick, suburbanite white guys whose recurring theme is "Thank you for not voting. " Check out the series of four spots at www.declareyourself.com.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

MSNBC correspondent Mika Brzezinski is shaking up broadcast journalism this week by refusing to lead the newscast on the sunrise show "Morning Joe" with yet another story about Paris Hilton checking out of the Graybar Hotel.

Her Washington pedigree -- she's the daughter of President Jimmy Carter's national security adviser, Zbignew Brzezinski -- shown through as she refused to pander to the increasingly poor judgment of her own producer and news managers everywhere and instead tried to advance to the second story in her queue, the one about prominent Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana calling on President Bush to rethink his Iraq war strategy.

"Why is she such a journalist?" host Joe Scarborough wondered aloud while she attempted to torch the Hilton pages, then ripped them and later fed another copy into the shredder behind her. The question, Joe, is why aren't there more like her on television?

Not many will have seen Mika's furor as it aired live before 6 a.m.., but it's all over You Tube.

Posted by Valerie Kuklenski at 12:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sen. Ted Kennedy showed some protective family spirit this morning when colleagues tried to rope his niece’s husband, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, into a debate on social security benefits paid to illegal immigrants.

Blasting an amendment that would have restricted the receipt of such benefits, Kennedy said the measure written by Nevada Republican Sen. John Ensign would have required the Social Security Administration delve into the work history of every immigrant to the U.S. – legal and illegal.

“It would have them investigate Henry Kissinger and possibly Tom Tancredo’s parents,’’ Kennedy said, referring to the famously hard-line lawmaker whose parents immigrated from Italy.

``And Schwarzenegger!” another senator in the room chimed in.

``Now you’re getting personal,’’ Kennedy retorted.

The amendment was prevented from coming to the floor, and Ensign opposed the overall bill, helping to lead to the immigration overhaul’s death later in the day.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa wants reporters to know he's nothing if not discreet.

About his lobbying efforts, of course! Why? what did you think we were talking about?

In Washington D.C. to tout immigration reform, Villaraigosa acknowledged he will be meeting with Democratic senators still on the fence about the bill. But with whom exactly is Villaraigosa meeting?

"I don't want to kiss and tell,'' the mayor said. Ok, then.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 12:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Los Angeles sought unsuccessfully Friday to extract an assurance from Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman that the agency would conduct thorough environmental assessments of the Santa Susana Field Laboratory.

In a letter to Bodman, Waxman said he was concerned and confused when the Energy Department moved forward in May with the demolition of some buildings at the site, despite a court order to conduct an Environmental Impact Study of the cleanup site.

The demolition was suddenly aborted, but the agency continues to sidestep further studies.

Energy Department spokesman Megan Barnett said they agency was juggling conflicting orders from the state, the federal government and the U.S. District Court.

``We plan to comply with the court order,’’ Barnett said, but indicted that might not mean completion of an environmental study.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 3:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

About $1.3 million for Los Angeles social programs won a thumbs-up today from the Senate Appropriations Committee.

The bill funding the Department of Labor and Health and Human Services includes:
- $500,000 for the Southwest Museum of the American Indian at the Autry National Center of the American West in Los Angeles for its Native American learning lab.
- $250,000 for L.A.’s BEST after school enrichment program.
- $200,000 for Children United Nations foster child mentoring programs.
- $100,000 for Educating Young Minds
- $100,000 for the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art museum for education and outreach.

The measure still has a long way to go before it reaches President Bush’s desk and could face resistance from the White House for broader provisions in the bill substantially expanding federally-funded stem cell research.

The bill makes existing stem cell lines derived before June 15, 2007 eligible for research. Bush has limited the number of eligible lines to those derived before August 9, 2001.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A congressional resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide has reached a political milestone with the endorsement of 200 lawmakers, Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Pasadena announced this afternoon.

The bill, if it passes, would force the U.S. government to formally recognize the massacres of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire during aftermath of World War I as genocide.

Schiff, a leading author of the resolution, noted that the 200 co-sponsors means the measure has more support than ever before. Last year it garnered 88 supporters.

No word yet on when the bill could be coming to the floor, though it is likely to pass both the House and Senate when it does.
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Posted by Lisa Friedman at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Illegal immigration hard-liners introduced sweeping legislation this morning in the hopes of countering a bill poised to move through the U.S. Senate granting permanent residency and citizenship to illegal immigrants.

The bill includes a number of measures written by Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks. Among them:

- A requirement to force the Social Security Administration to notify employers and homeland security officials when a workers’ social security number and name does not match. Currently, Gallegly and others maintain, the agency ignores the discrepancy, effectively allowing illegal immigrants and others perpetrating identity theft employment.

- Requiring the Internal Revenue Service to notify homeland security officials when it receives an Individual Tax Identification Number instead of a social security number. The ID numbers are issued to foreign nationals, but are not supposed to be used to gain employment.

- Finally, the bill includes a provision prohibiting federal agencies from accepting consular cards as a form of valid identification. The use of the Mexican matricula consular has been a contentious issue for several years, and Gallegly has long been among those seeking to outlaw its use.

The overall bill is sponsored by Rep. Peter King, R-New York, and Lamar Smith, R-Texas.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 9:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Father Giovanni Bizzotto of Sun Valley is among the more than 40 Californians riding on the “Dream Train” to D.C. right now to lobby for immigration reform.

Bizotto, an Italian immigrant who now works as the vocation director for the Scalabrinian Community Mission for the Migrants, a religious order that serves migrants in 31 countries, said he feels a sense of obligation to advocate for immigrants.

``I’m a strong believer that the church has to journey along with people who are struggling. I strongly believe that this is where I belong, journeying along with the migrants,’’ he said.

The 10-city train tour, organized by the archdiocese and the AFL-CIO and promoted by the immigrant rights coalition We Are America, describes its aims as ``dispelling myths’’ about immigration. It set out from Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Dreams Across America tour includes about 100 immigrants, citizens and clergy stopping in several cities to talk to people about their family’s American dream.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rep. Jane Harman, D-El Segundo lashed out this morning against the Social Security Administration for shutting down its San Pedro office.

"After months of effort by residents and elected officials, including me, to keep the San Pedro office open, the offer of a part-time contact office is insulting," Harman said in a statement released this morning.

"Apparently, SSA has not been watching the meltdown of our passport system. Putting too few resources on a big issue creates a bigger problem," she said.

The office is scheduled to close Sept. 30. Officials say the administration is focusing its resources on growing population areas in Nevada, Arizona and inland California.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The federal government moved a step closer this week toward investigating wartime violations against Japanese Latin Americans during World War II.

A Senate companion bill to one written by Rep. Xavier Becerra, D-Los Angeles creating a commission on wartime relocation passed the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.

Becerra called committee passage ``a momentous step’’ on ``an issue that has long deserved its due.’’

The commission would investigate U.S. involvement in the abduction, internment and deportation of Japanese Latin Americans and make recommendations for appropriate remedies to Congress. The commission would be composed of nine people, with the president, speaker of the House and president pro tempore of the Senate each selecting three.

No word yet on when the bill might reach the Senate floor for a full vote.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Helped by the fight over immigration, Democratic presidential candidates are courting Hispanic voters like never before, prompted by a string of early primaries in states with sizable Hispanic voting blocs, the New York Times reports..

It has forced candidates to hire outreach consultants, to start Spanish-language Web sites and to campaign vigorously before Hispanic audiences.

The battle for Hispanic voters is a result of the decision by several states with large Hispanic populations to move their presidential primaries to early 2008, including California, Florida and New York. Roughly two-thirds of the nation’s Hispanic residents live in nine of the states holding Democratic primaries or caucuses on or before Feb. 5.

Republican and Democratic strategists, as well as independent analysts, say the influence of Hispanic voters is likely to be amplified next year because of an unusually intense response in many Hispanic communities to immigration policy. Conservative Republicans, with the help of some left-leaning Democrats, teamed up on Thursday to derail an immigration bill in the Senate that would have provided a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

It is in the new early primary states where Democrats hope the outreach efforts bear fruit. In the last presidential election, Hispanic voters accounted for a significant part of the overall Democratic primary electorate in California (16 percent), New York (11 percent), Arizona (17 percent) and Florida (9 percent), all states that will hold primaries by Feb 5.

Sergio Bendixen, a pollster hired by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign to study Hispanic voting trends, said: “The Hispanic vote has never been all that important in the presidential primary process in the United States. But that will change in 2008.”

At this early stage, Mrs. Clinton, a New York Democrat, appears best poised to benefit from the heightened Hispanic role in the primary process. She has already captured a prized endorsement, of Mayor Antonio R . Villaraigosa of Los Angeles, one of the nation’s most prominent Hispanic politicians.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's endorsement of Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign -- it'll be official Wednesday -- is the politically shrewd move, coalition politics and Sanjaya-like Obama passion aside.

And it has nothing to do with presidential politics. Gubernatorial politics, maybe. Or, for sure.

By giving Hillary the biggest Latino political endorsement to date, which will be especially helpful in the suddenly important California presidential primary, Antonio assures himself of being able to call in a quid pro quo for Bill and Hillary's endorsement when the mayor announces his 2010 gubernatorial campaign, as everyone expects him to do.

Those Clinton endorsements will mean a lot more in Antonio's anticipated statewide run than anything that Barack Obama or any of the other Democratic presidential hopefuls can offer.

Posted by Tony Castro at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca announced Monday he is supporting U.S. Sen. John McCain's bid for the White House.
"I am proud to support John McCain," Baca said. "He has an impressive record of public service, and his strength on the issues that are critical to keeping us safe sets him apart. John McCain is a steady hand who will be able to step into our country's most important leadership role with the experience to be successful. I know as president, Senator McCain will address America's toughest public safety problems."
Baca's career began in 1965 when he was sworn into the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department as a deputy sheriff trainee. During the years that followed, Sheriff Baca rose through the ranks. He was eventually promoted to chief in 1992 by the late Sheriff Sherman Block.
Baca was elected to be the county's 30th Sheriff in 1998. Baca now commands the largest sheriff's department in the world, supervising more than 17,000 sworn and civilian personnel.
McCain said that he was grateful to have Baca's support.
"Sheriff Baca is a respected leader in California and he understands the security needs of our urban communities," McCain said. "I am proud to have his support and very much welcome his help in our efforts."

Posted by Troy Anderson at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you get the sense during Thursday night's first GOP presidential debate, that if Hollywood were going to cast someone in the role of John McCain at this stage of his life, it would have to be Clint Eastwood?

"We will capture him. We will bring him to justice, and I will follow him to the gates of hell."

Add that to "Go ahead, make my day," "Do you feel lucky? Do you?" and all of Clint's famous good-guy lines.

McCain did what he had to do in relaunching his campaign. He re-established himself as a swashbuckler, which is saying a lot for Republicans. And, in a setting in which every candidate tried to kiss up to Nancy Reagan, it was only McCain who went beyond being a knee-jerk conservative. He was the only candidate to whole-heartedly say he would back Nancy's personal campaign of getting funding for embryonic stem cell research.

It's not that some of the other candidates, most notably Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, didn't impress in their own. But you expected that. You expect the top tier people to put their best foot forward -- and to have learned a lesson from Barack Obama's timidity in the first Democratic debate last week.

Posted by Tony Castro at 11:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some people say the ghost of Ronald Reagan still lives in the Oval Office. Well, this afternoon Nancy Reagan has been the supreme hostess in the Oval Office.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library's Oval Office -- an exact replica of how it was during the Reagan presidential years.

Nancy has been greeting each of the 10 Republican presidential candidates in tonight's first GOP debate at the library's Oval Office

Posted by Tony Castro at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Does Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plan to tell speakers at next week's Cinco de Mayo celebration that they are full of hot air and to limit their speeches to 30 seconds each? How about the speakers at the annual September 16 Mexican Independence Day celebration?

That's what he told speakers at Sunday's Israeli Independence Festival at Woodley Park in Van Nuys.

At Villaraigosa's request, officials and dignitaries at the event limited their remarks to 30 seconds in ceremonies that ran so fast that Israel Counsel General Ehud Danoch rushed to summarize almost six decades of Israeli achievements in half a minute.

In the mayor's own remarks, he said he had been attending the festival since 1998, and "the speeches are too long!"

It appears that the motivation for Villaraigosa demanding the 30-second speeches at the ceremonies that began well past 1 p..m. is that the mayor was rushing to get to the annual pre-Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Broadway downtown where he was scheduled to make a 2 p.m. appearance. The mayor didn't even stick around long enough for the Israeli National Anthem at the end of the unusually shortened Israeli Independence ceremony.

Posted by Tony Castro at 1:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Candidates

Hillary Clinton A
No surprise. Nothing like tutorials from Bill.

Barack Obama B-
Sound bites, more style than substance and little else.

John Edwards B-
Could use another medical update.

Bill Richardson C
Should know that when Castro dies, Cuba will not be in a "post-Democratic" era.

Joe Biden C-
Leading contender... for The Comedy Store.

Chris Dodd C
Where's Bianca Jagger when you need her?

Dennis J. Kucinich C-
Who did this guy's hair dye job?

MIke Gravel D
I thought this guy was dead.

Moderator

Brian Williams D
Hardly Tom Brokaw. Nor Jim Lehrer, for that matter.

Posted by Tony Castro at 2:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is a political story only in the sense that throughout the country, a fairly new class of people is demanding its rights in legislatures and offices acoss America -- and succeeding in many cases, as they should. The group of people are transgenders, though it is interesting that some of them still refer to themselves by a label that is increasing going out of use within that community -- transsexuxals. Among them is Los Angeles Times sportswriter Mike Penner.

For most who have not known what he has been going through, through much of his life, Mike presents his first-person account today -- "Old Mike, new Christine."

"During my 23 years with The Times' sports department, I have held a wide variety of roles and titles. Tennis writer. Angels beat reporter. Olympics writer. Essayist. Sports media critic. NFL columnist. Recent keeper of the Morning Briefing flame.

"Today I leave for a few weeks' vacation, and when I return, I will come back in yet another incarnation.

"As Christine.

"I am a transsexual sportswriter." Read his story.

Posted by Tony Castro at 4:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Eli Broad apparently isn't waiting on Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to come up with an alternative to his seemingly defunct attempt to take over the LAUSD -- and he's found more upscale company with which to partner.

On the eve of the first presidential debate, Broad and the foundation he heads with wife Edythe Wednesday joined up with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for what they call "the Strong American Schools campaign" aimed at elevating American education to the top of the upcoming presidential campaign agenda.

Strong American Schools is a nonpartisan public awareness and action campaign designed to give a voice to every American who demands strong leadership to improve our schools.

"The American dream is slipping away, and unless our leaders dramatically improve our public schools, our standard of living, our economy and our very democracy will be threatened,”" Broad said in a statement touting the announcement in Columbia, S.C., where Democratic presidential nominees will square off in a debate Thursday night. "Our country'’s education system is no longer the best in the world. We need every American to demand better schools and specific policy solutions from presidential candidates. Our future depends on it.”"

“Broad and Villaraigosa parted ways on the education front last year when the Los Angeles philanthropist and billionaire grew disenchanted with the mayor's backroom political compromises to get AB 1381 -- the measure to give the mayor control of the LAUSD -- through the legislature.

Posted by Tony Castro at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Tony Castro: New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson may not have the money to compete with the "rock stars" of the presidential campaign, but he showed he has the sense of humor Monday night at a Hollywood fundraiser.
Richardson entertained supporters -- among them City Councilman Tom LaBonge -- at Lucy's El Adobe Cafe with an anecdote about his 93-year-old mother -- who is Mexican and still lives in Mexico.
"My mom, God bless her, is getting along in years, and sometimes she has difficulty remembering. Well, I called other day she asked me, 'Are you still governor?" Richardson recounted. "'Yes, mother, I'm still governor. They didn't impeach me yet.' And then she says, how's your sister? And I said, 'Fine.' And then she asked, 'Are you still governor?' And I said, 'Yes, mother.' And I said, 'Mother, in fact, I've told you this, but I'm going to tell you again. Two months ago, I announced for president.' And she said, 'El presidente de que, hombre!'"
Richardson also cleared up his California roots. He was born in Pasadena, but it turns out his California residency was brief.
"Most of California doesn't know that I'm Hispanic, but I'm working on it," he said, explaining that he had appeared on several Spanish radio shows, "and I'm going to be with George Lopez Saturday."
"My father was an American, and he had this complex -- that he wasn't born in the United States. He was born in Nicaragua... So he said, I am not going to permit my son not to be born in America. We lived in Mexico. He was working there. So what they did (when my mother was due) was to get in the car and drive up here. So I was born where (my father) had a sister -- at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.
"So I was born there and we went right back. Right after I was born, we stayed a day and we went back. And last night, there was a fundraiser for me at (filmmaker) Moctezuma Esparza's. He's in Pasadena. He has a house there. And this woman from Huntington Hospital say, 'Well, governor, we'd like to do a fundraiser here at Huntington Hospital, and you can talk about your roots in Pasadena.' My roots were about four hours!
"But now that California is one of the first primaries, my roots are going to increase. I'm a native son!"

Posted by Armando Hernandez at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On his annual trip to Washington, D.C.next week, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich is once again going to push his reform package to address the high cost of illegal immigration in the county and across the nation.
A political hot potato for many politicians, Antonovich has no qualms about sharing the data he's squeezed out of various county departments in recent years.
“Illegal immigration continues to have a devastating impact on Los Angeles County taxpayers,” Antonovich said in a prepared release. “When the nearly $500 million spent on welfare is added to the costs of public safety and health care – the total cost exceeds $1 billion a year. This does not include the skyrocketing cost of education.”
Antonovich noted that the United States is one of the few nations where children of undocumented immigrants become legal citizens if born here. As a result, every child born to an undocumented immigrant is entitled to a variety of social services, including welfare, until they are 18 years old.
This costs the county nearly $420 million annually in welfare and food stamp benefits, Antonovich said. Nearly 100,000 children of 60,000 undocumented parents receive welfare.
In the jail system, a quarter of the 19,000 inmates are undocumented immigrants.
“The cost to our county's justice system has increased more than 50 percent just seven years ago to $220 million a year, which includes incarceration, prosecution, defense and probation,” Antonovich said.
The county's health system, long teetering on the brink of financial collapse, spends about $360 million a year to provide health services to undocumented immigrants, who make up about 30 percent of its patients.
During his trip, Antonovich plans to urge lawmakers to take several steps to address this problem.
Antonovich would like to see the federal government help stabilize Mexico's economy by encouraging the country to privatize their state-run companies, set up medical centers along the Mexican side of the border with the United States, create a bonded guest worker program, establish a trained reserve component to increase the number of U.S. Border Patrol officers and increase funding for more prosecutions in the United States for those who violate immigration laws.

Posted by Troy Anderson at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and members of the Southern California Committee for the Olympic Games emerged smiling and hugging from their hour-long presentation before the U.S. Olympic Committee.

But Villaraigosa continued to maintain a mysterious silence about the additional financial guarantee they said the city recently obtained. The secrecy, he insisted, was enforced and not optional.

"We've been told that this is a confidential process," he said. "We were told that you don't share certain information. You don't share it even if you want to."

Villraigosa did say the additional financial backing comes from a private source, and is "unprecedented" both in the amount and the type of guarantee.

Meanwhile, he said the team emerged confident from its final pitch. The USOC decides in about an hour whether Los Angeles or Chicago will be the U.S. nominee for the 2016 Summer Games, and compete against international cities like Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Madrid.

"It went well," he said of the appearance. "There were no surprises today."

Villaraigosa said the city pitched a vision of a "transformative" 2016 games. Techno music and the sound of booms could be heard from their power point presentation, which team members said emphasized the region's technical know-how and wealth of creative talent.

Meanwhile, he continued to answer questions about the absence of Los Angeles media. The Times showed up Saturday morning, but L.A. television crews remained absent. The press room, meanwhile, has been crowded with Chicago reporters.

"Did they seem to notice that L.A. is a little laid back here?" one Chicago reporter asked Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley after his team emerged from their final presentation. Daley said the USOC made no mention of the dirth of L.A. media, but jabbed "We're very proud of hte Chicago press."

Villaraigosa didn't wait to be asked again about his city's apparent lack of media enthusiasm.

"It's very clear your media is here today," he said to the room, but really to Chicago. But, he insisted, "Let's be clear about this, 90 percent of the city supports the Olympic games. There is an energy about the Olympic games that you're going to see, and it starts with the leader of the city.

"I can tell you there will be a big rally today (in Los Angeles)" he said. "PThere will be a lot of media there. People will be enthusiastic about these games."

Villaraigosa also vowed to work hard for Chicago in the even the Windy City is named the nominee.

"America and the world will benefit from whoever is selected," he said. "I'm prepared to stand with Mayor Daley if Chicago wins this bid, and go wherever he needs me to go."

Citing his ability to speak Spanish and energize both Latino communities as well as the Spanish-speaking world about the U.S. nominee, Villaraigosa said if Chicago wins "You'll see me schlep wherever Mayor Daley wants me to go."

Apparently the mayor also speaks Yiddish.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is Los Angeles too cool to care?

It urns out theat Lisa Friedman, of the Daily News bureaus in Washington, D.C., was the only Los Angeles media represented Friday afternoon at preview of today's announcdement on the U.S. host city selection. And Chicago took note.

"She's representing the entire Los Angeles press corps,'' one Chicago reporter said. Then he hit Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa with the zinger.

``Is L.A. blase?''

Villaraigosa tried to explain away the dirth of Los Angeles media attention
toward the city's bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics.

"Budget cuts. I don't know. Maybe it's the fact that the LA Times is now
owned by a Chicago guy,'' he said.

Posted by Rick Orlov at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Legislation beefing up animal fighting penalties has sailed through the U.S. Senate and is poised to become law.

The bill by Rep. Elton Gallegly, R-Thousand Oaks, makes violations of federal animal fighting law a felony punishable by up to three years in prison. It also makes it a felony to transport animals or certain cockfighting blades across state or international borders for fighting.

Gallegly has unsuccessfully pushed his animal-fighting bill for several years over the objections of the National Rifle Association. As recently as March, some House anti-abortion lawmakers also objected to it, contending that the proposed cockfighting laws elevate the lives of chickens over unborn children.

Ultimately, the House in March passed the bill 368 to 39. Last night's Senate passage means the bill now heads to President Bush's desk for his signature.

Gallegly on Wednesday called cockfighting and dogfighting a "cruel enterprise."

"Other crimes often go hand-in-hand with animal fighting, including illegal gambling, drug trafficking and acts of human violencem," he said in a statement, adding, "In the last six months, virtually every reported arrest at an animal fight also led to additional arrests for at least one of these criminal activities."

Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society predicted the bill will have a significant impact.

"There is a vast underground network of dogfighting and cockfighting operations at work throughout the country, and his legislation will give law enforcement the tools to crack down on the barbaric practice of staged animal fights," Pacelle said.

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 8:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is headed to D.C. again, this time to discuss global warming.

Schwarzenegger's will be the keynote speaker tomorrow at the Newsweek Global Environment Leadership Conference at Georgtown University. He also plans to meet with EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson to discuss California's petition to control greenhouse gases.

California applied in 2005 for an exemption from the federal Clean Air Act. The waiver has not been acted upon, but the state needs it in order to fully implement a state law that calls for reducing emissions from cars and light
trucks by 25 percent and from sport utility vehicles by 18 percent, starting in 2009.

An aide to Schwarzenegger said the governor's one-day D.C. trip also will include a meeting with Sen. Dianne Feinstien. Schwarzenegger plans to lend support to legislation Feinstein introduced this year that would increase
the availability and convenience of low-carbon fuels.

No worries. The governator is definitely getting back in California in time to tape his special biofuels episode of MTV's "Pimp My Ride."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters Tuesday that he is poised to come out with a new redistricting plan that will include rempping of state and congressional lines. To Sen. Dianne Feinstein's apparent horror, the new maps will be created by -- in Schwarzenegger's words -- "the people of California."

``People? How many people?'' a confused Feinstein asked Schwarzenegger at a news conference in her Senate office. ``You wouldn't want judges, or some independent...?''

``No, that didn't work the last time,'' Schwarzengger said, referencing his failed attempt to pass a redistricting proposition. ``It's going to be fun," he insisted.

"Oh, yeah," Feinstein replied, adding diplomatically, "I think I need to study it more."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

President Bush once told the world "you are either with us or against us" on terrorism. Now a Republican Southland lawmaker is employing the same rhetoric against the president.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach/Long Beach skewered the administration Wednesday for the prosecution of Border Patrol agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos. Both face federal prison time -- 11 and 12 years respectively -- for shooting a drug dealer in the buttocks and trying to hide it while guarding the Texas/Mexico border.

"These two men are heroes willing to put their lives on the line for us," said Rohrabacher who called with other lawmakers for Bush to pardon the agents.

Employing the harshest rhetoric yet against Bush, Rohrabacher said, ``We're going to find out whose side you're on...the American people or the side of our enemies. If you let these two men go to jail for defending us, then we'll know your on the side of our enemies."

Posted by Lisa Friedman at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)