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)