KPCC News In Brief

November 2008 Archives

• Shopper shares how economic downturn has affected her Christmas shopping

  The holiday shopping season has officially begun. One shopper told KPCC’s Brian Watt there’ll be gifts under her tree this year - just not as many as before.

  Brian Watt: Last year, Kathy Mitchell says she gave a lot of gifts to a lot of friends.

  Kathy Mitchell: And now my list, unfortunately, is not as long as it used to be. Or as long as I would like it to be. And I guess you can’t give as extravagant of a gift. You just have to be careful this year.

  Watt: No extravagance because money’s tight. What else does “careful” mean to a paralegal who lives in Beverly Hills and chases doorbuster bargains at stores in Culver City?

  Mitchell: I’m not using any credit cards this year. I just - no, no. That’s not good. Because it takes you too long to repay them. This year it’s no credit cards – that’ s why my list is shorter.

  Watt: But Mitchell said she started early to spend the money she knew she had - so she could take advantage of the best deals.

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  • November 28, 2008 4:52 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Two people shot and killed at Palm Desert Toys R Us

  Somebody shot and killed two people today at a Toys R Us store in Palm Desert. KPCC’s Brian Watt has the story.

  Brian Watt: The first phone calls about the shooting reached the Palm Desert police department at 11:30 this morning. Shoppers eager for Black Friday bargains were crowding the store near the intersection of Fred Waring Drive and Highway 111.

  Palm Desert Assistant City Manager Sheila Gilligan told The Desert Sun newspaper of reports that two groups inside the Toys R Us had a conflict, and two men pulled weapons and shot each other. An employee of the nearby World Gym told the newspaper that about a dozen shoppers ran from the back of the toy store and took refuge inside the gym.

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  • November 28, 2008 2:05 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Musical instrument repair shop weathers economic downturn

  Family-owned businesses face particular challenges when the economy lags. But shops that provide unusual services may be exempt. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez found that out when he visited an establishment in Long Beach.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: World of Strings has sold and repaired guitars, violins, and double basses for more than 40 years.

  Shop owner Jon Peterson tests a $3,500 student double bass after he works on its bridge. Some symphony musicians only trust him with their instruments. Peterson says his eight-employee business is stable.

  Jon Peterson: There’s a little bit of a slump. But you know, I think it’s an overall kind of thing. But we’re still moving along.

  Guzman-Lopez: Sales are down, but repair work keeps coming in. Ninety double basses in various stages of playability attest to that.

  Peterson: We try to track to what people are interested in, try to keep those things available, try to keep a friendly shop, make it a place to come.

  Guzman-Lopez: Peterson says customer service has helped him weather the downturn better than other shops. He wouldn’t talk about his annual sales - but he says that when he does retire, he’ll be fine.

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  • November 28, 2008 1:27 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• UC Berkeley economist/historian explains origin of Black Friday

  A time of economic turmoil – very much like the one we’re in now – launched this day as the start of the holiday shopping season, UC Berkeley economist and historian Martha Olney told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  Martha Olney: “Franklin Roosevelt, as one his moves to try to help the economy during the Great Depression, moved Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of the month to the fourth Thursday of the month so as to make the Christmas shopping season one week longer, and hope to turn those balance sheets into that nice black color instead of the red negative color.”

  Olney said that the custom of recording profits with a black pencil in accounting books inspired the name “Black Friday” - the day on which retailers could begin to hope they’d end the calendar year “in the black.”

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  • November 28, 2008 1:24 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, History

• Orthodox rabbi and wife killed in Mumbai, India attacks; son survives

  An ultra-orthodox Jewish group confirmed this morning that a New York rabbi and his wife were among five people killed at the Mumbai headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch. That’s one of 10 sites gunmen attacked on Wednesday.

  Commandos found the bodies of Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka, this morning. Their 2-year-old son survived the ordeal. Rabbi Boruch Cunin is the director of Chabad’s West Coast organization.

  Rabbi Boruch Cunin: “We know him, we know his wife. They are emissaries of the Rebbe. His cousin is an emissary for us here in California. Very, very sweet people. And miraculously, God took the 2-year-old child out and saved his life.”

  The cousin is part of the Chabad organization in Monterey. West Coast Chabad plans to hold a memorial service for the couple.

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  • November 28, 2008 1:15 PM
  • Categories: Religion/Spirituality

• Story Corps founder Isay promotes National Day of Listening

  On this day after Thanksgiving, you can do plenty with the people closest to you – eat leftovers, take a long walk, go shopping, or observe Buy Nothing Day.

  Radio documentary maker David Isay, founder of Story Corps, offers another suggestion. He’s promoting this as a “National Day of Listening.” The idea, Isay told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison,” is to sit down with a recording device and interview a relative, friend, or other loved one.

  David Isay: “Just for a moment you’re going to be walking in the footsteps of someone who, on the surface, seems very, very on the surface different than you. But just for an instant, you’re going to be in their shoes. And that act of walking in their footsteps and recognizing our share of humanity, I think has a tremendous potential to build bridges between people.”

  For tips on how to conduct your day of listening, go online to NPR.org.

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  • November 28, 2008 1:10 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Black Friday shopping expected to be strong

  Seventeen-year-old Harry Hawkins was one of the early shoppers this morning at Fox Hills Mall. He said the long lines forced him to change plans.

  Harry Hawkins: “I started off my morning going to Circuit cCity, bought a couple DVDs, a couple games, you know. Then I came over here to Old Navy, but the line was just too long and I was not going through it. I put back all the clothes I had because I wasn’t dealing with it.”

  Some worry that the holiday season could be tough for retailers with the economic downturn, but Black Friday was expected to be strong. A store manager at JC Penney in Glendale told KPCC that this morning’s crowd is as strong as last year’s.

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  • November 28, 2008 1:06 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Shopper says Black Friday is overhyped

  Tradition trumps the scary economy, so throngs of shoppers headed to their favorite stores and malls before the crack of dawn. By 6:30 this morning, Carla Selfridge and her son had already taken care of business at the Circuit City in Culver City. She described the holiday shopping mania as “overrated”:

  Carla Selfridge: “Because they make it seem like there’s this limited amount of items, and it’s not. They’ve got plenty of stuff in the stores. They’ve got plenty of everything. They’ve got plenty of flat panels, they’ve got plenty of computers.

  “At Circuit City, they were saying, “Who wants a laptop? OK, here’s a laptop.” It wasn’t like “Oh, we only have six or we only have seven.” They have plenty of everything! It’s all hype to get us out here to make us spend, spend, spend. Uh-hunh. No, no, no.”

  Selfridge said she’s shopping more conservatively than she did last holiday season. But she’d already purchased her 32-inch flat panel television on the Circuit City website. She said she got a good deal by waiting until after midnight to lock in that order.

  Tools

  • November 28, 2008 11:32 AM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Orthodox rabbi and his wife killed at Jewish center in Mumbai, India

  An American ultra-orthodox rabbi and his wife were among those killed at a Jewish center in Mumbai, India. The Chabad-Lubavitch organization has confirmed the deaths of Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife, Rivka. The couple had moved from New York to run the center.

  Rabbi Boruch Cunin, the director of West Coast Chabad, reacted with sorrow to the news.

  Rabbi Boruch Cunin: “They gave their lives not for business, not for commerce. They gave their lives to bring comfort to all of God’s children.”

  Cunin said that he and others in West Coast Chabad knew the rabbi and his wife, and that Holtzberg’s cousin is part of the Chabad organization in Monterey.

  West Coast Chabad plans to hold a memorial service for the couple. Their toddler son survived the siege.

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  • November 28, 2008 11:25 AM
  • Categories: Religion/Spirituality

• LA City Council President Garcetti says he's thankful for President-elect Obama

  Ask a politician what he’s thankful for on Thanksgiving Day and you’re likely to get a political answer.

  Eric Garcetti: “My name is Eric Garcetti, I’m the president of the Los Angeles City Council. I’m thankful for a new president, one who lived here in Los Angeles, one who understands our cities, and one who’s going to be sworn in on a historic day – January 20, 2009!”

  Eric Garcetti represents L.A’s 13th council district.

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  • November 27, 2008 2:08 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Science/Technology

• Department of Water and Power general manager Nahai shares what he's thankful for on Thanksgiving

  We’ve been asking Los Angeles residents to count their blessings this Thanksgiving.

  David Nahai is the general manager of the Department of Water and Power. He says he knows he has many to count.

  David Nahai: “Oh, I am thankful for so much – for my wife Gina and my children whose support and love I truly cherish. But you know, I toured the Northeast Valley with the mayor, and the tragedy that unfolded there with the recent fires is still palpable. So one has to remember people who perhaps have less to be thankful for.”

  Nahai says the DWP has done that - its employees have taken up a collection for the victims of the Sylmar Fire to be given to the Red Cross.

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  • November 27, 2008 2:00 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Society/Culture

• Supermarket worker says she's grateful for her daughter on Thanksgiving

  Southern Californians know what they’re thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. Claudia Ortega is grateful for her 10-year old daughter - and the energy and strength to deal with her.

  Claudia Ortega: “And I live by myself with her, so I help her to study. Which I didn’t do. And I would like her to go to college. And I am raising her by myself. So I thank God that I have I have power every day so I can help her.”

  Claudia Ortega works at a supermarket in east Hollywood. She and her daughter are spending Thanksgiving with family.

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  • November 27, 2008 1:58 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Immigrant retired school principal says she's grateful this Thanksgiving for her citizenship

  We’ve been asking Los Angeles residents what they’re thankful for this Thanksgiving. Miriam Rumjohn, a retired school principal, says even with the tough economy, she’s grateful for her citizenship.

  Miriam Rumjohn: “I was born and raised in China, lived in Hong Kong. Since then have traveled quite a bit – Europe and all that. I’m still grateful to be here. I have faith in this country.

  “Look at today’s papers, all that greed on everybody’s part. But! It’s wonderful here. I wouldn’t trade this for – Paris! I wouldn’t trade this for Paris, I love Paris, but I won’t trade for it.

  “Going to church at my age is better than a turkey. I mean when I go get the eucharist it’s better than the gobble gobble.”

  That was Miriam Rumjohn. She lives in Silverlake.

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  • November 27, 2008 1:56 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Silverlake shoppers share what they're thankful for

  It’s a tough Thanksgiving for a lot of people this year. But still, Angelenos are finding things to be thankful for. Janice Ascensio and Wilson Thomas were mindful of that as they loaded groceries into a car at a Silverlake supermarket.

  Janice Ascensio: “I’m thankful I am a social worker, and I am able to buy a nice dinner for a client of mine and his three children he is raising by himself. Sixteen-pound turkey and all the stuff that goes with it.”

  Wilson Thomas: “I am just thankful that I have good friends and people that love me and help me, ‘cause it’s kind of hard now and everything. But when you got family and friends, you’ll be okay. So I am thankful for that.”

  That was Wilson Thomas, and Janice Ascensio. She works for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

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  • November 27, 2008 1:41 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Southland health officials warn about stormwater runoff at beaches

  Southland public health officials are warning people to be careful around stormwater runoff at area beaches this weekend. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has the story.

  Molly Peterson: Wet weather can fill stormwater systems that run out to the ocean with plenty carried through city streets – from tiny bacteria to trash to other health hazards. So Los Angeles County’s public health office is warning beachgoers to watch out along some coastal areas.

  Discharge pipes, creeks, and rivers that carry rainwater runoff are near some beaches and swimming spots – and that’s what the county says to avoid. L.A.’s warning is in effect until at least Sunday.

  In Long Beach, officials are telling locals to stay out of the water entirely for 72 hours after rainfall. Meanwhile, L.A. County’s beach testing program continues. Orange and Ventura counties lost big chunks of money for beach water quality tests in state budget cuts last month.

  The state water board has since restored that funding, but both counties are waiting for the new paperwork – and they’re only issuing advisories after rainfall and other events while they wait.

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  • November 27, 2008 1:38 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Southern California weathers first fall storm with no major mudslides

  Southern California residents got through their first Pacific storm virtually unscathed. Recent wildfires reduced hillsides to ash, and residents feared a second major problem this month: mudslides. KPCC’s Steve Julian reports.

  Steve Julian: The rain came ashore Tuesday night and, at times, pummeled northern Los Angeles County with an inch per hour. But in neighborhoods where about 30,000 acres of hillsides burned, the major mudslides didn’t happen.

  But 1,500 people were told to leave their homes in Yorba Linda where nearly 120 homes burned just over a week ago. Now that the storm has passed, these residents are back home; as are evacuees in Santa Barbara.

  Despite the threats it brought, the storm was a welcome change for many after a long siege of temperatures in the 80s and 90s. Climatologists say, however, this storm did nothing to alleviate a four-year drought in Southern California.

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  • November 27, 2008 9:55 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Officials unveil why Yorba Linda fire hydrants failed during wildfire

  Yorba Linda water district officials blame a computer for the failure of key fire hydrants during this month’s Freeway Complex fire. KPCC’s Susan Valot says the fire destroyed more than 180 homes.

  Susan Valot: Firefighters in the upper reaches of Yorba Linda arrived at the fire to find raging flames – and no water in the fire hydrants. They had to stand by and watch homes burn.

  Now, a Yorba Linda Water District spokesman says the hydrants may have shut themselves down when something damaged a computerized communications link. Then, the water district says a backup gas-powered water pump failed because it got too hot.

  Water officials say they had no idea the failure happened until they saw coverage of the problem on TV. They say the pump system for the hydrants was designed to deal with fires at maybe one or two homes – but not with a full-on firestorm.

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  • November 27, 2008 9:52 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Former California house speaker Nunez moves to lobbying firm

  California’s new legislative session begins Monday. Lawmakers who are termed out have been looking for something else to do. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports that the former Assembly Speaker has a new job with a high-powered public relations firm.

  Kitty Felde: When Democrat Fabian Nunez took the job as Assembly Speaker, he was never afraid to butt heads with newly-elected Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their relationship mellowed over time.

  Now that Nunez is leaving the legislature, he’s joining a public relations firm operated by two of Schwarzenegger’s political advisors. Nunez will join Mercury Public Affairs, a national political consulting firm.

  Steve Schmidt, who ran Schwarzenegger’s re-election campaign and Adam Mendehlson, the governor’s former press deputy, are partners in Mercury. The company’s newest hire gives Mercury an entrée to California’s Democratic power brokers.

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  • November 26, 2008 6:27 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Deloitte Consulting settles dispute with LAUSD over payroll system

  The Los Angeles Unified School District has announced a $15 million settlement with Deloitte Consulting, the company it had paid to make sure a massive new payroll system worked.

  That system wreaked havoc on payroll almost two years ago. It underpaid, overpaid, and failed to pay tens of thousands of L.A. Unified employees.

  The school district was ready to sue Deloitte Consulting, says school district Chief Operating Officer David Holmquist. He calls the settlement a good resolution, even though it doesn’t cover the $37 million dollars LA Unified spent to fix the problems.

  David Holmquist: “It also does not compensate employees for the suffering they endured as a result of the incorrect payroll we had for a number of months, but you have to remember that this is a breach of contract action, and we were limited in the amount of dollars that we could recover.”

  Deloitte did not assume any blame in the matter. Holmquist says the school district’s learned to better review the companies it works with, and to fully test and re-test new the technology it purchases.

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  • November 26, 2008 6:06 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice, Education

• Company settles dispute with LAUSD over payroll system

  Almost two years ago, the Los Angeles Unified School District flipped the switch on a brand new payroll system. It went haywire, issuing overpayments, underpayments, and no payments to tens of thousands of employees.

  KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez says the school district announced a settlement today over the question of who was to blame.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: L.A. Unified spent $37 million to fix the payroll problems. School district officials concluded that payroll training was deficient, and that complicated payment categories weren’t programmed correctly into the new system.

  The district moved to sue Deloitte Consulting, the company responsible for making sure the new payroll system worked. Deloitte Consulting has agreed to pay the school district more than $8 million. It’ll also forgive invoices totaling $7 million, without assuming any blame. School district officials said they will not sue the company.

  Through a spokesman, School Board President Monica Garcia welcomed the settlement and said it’s a victory for teachers, families, and taxpayers, even though L.A. Unified didn’t recoup all its costs.

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  • November 26, 2008 5:39 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice, Education

• Nonprofit challenges LA County over Baldwin Hills drilling rules

  A neighborhood nonprofit has filed a legal challenge to Los Angeles County’s new rules about oil drilling operations in the Baldwin Hills. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports it’s one of several lawsuits over the county’s actions.

  Molly Peterson: Last month, L.A. County created a new district around the Inglewood Oil Field. It came with new rules aimed at easing environmental, health, and noise complaints from the field’s neighbors.

  Since then several groups, including some of those neighbors, have challenged the rules. Opponents say the county failed to square them with California planning law requirements. The groups also claim environmental review information was slow in coming, and was incomplete.

  Retiring L.A. County Supervisor Yvonne Burke, who spearheaded the move to create the new standards in her district, has defended the county’s planning process.

  Whether or not the county’s rules hold up on court, the oil drilling, which has been ongoing for the past 84 years, is likely to continue. The current leaseholder, Plains Exploration, can apply to the state of California for more drilling permits at any time.

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  • November 26, 2008 5:34 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Holiday travelers find fewer crowds than usual at LAX

  Travelers heading out of L.A. International Airport for the Thanksgiving holiday are a bit surprised to find that the place isn’t stuffed like a turkey. Josh Evans of Sherman Oaks found absolutely no line when he arrived to check in for his flight to Hawaii today. That’s where KPCC’s Susan Valot found Evans and his girlfriend.

  Josh Evans: It’s difficult to go back home, and my football team is playing over there, so we’re going to go watch ‘em play and eat some turkey; pig turkey or something. (Laughs) Luau turkey!
  Girlfriend: Yeah.
  Susan Valot: With poi.
  Evans and Girlfriend: Yeah, yeah! (Laughing)

  Valot: Evans’ football team is the Washington State University Cougars. Its season finale is in Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium this Saturday.

  The Auto Club and other travel trackers predicted a small but significant drop in air and car trips this Thanksgiving because Americans have less money to spend.

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  • November 26, 2008 5:30 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture, Transportation

• Southland organizations distributing food to those in need for Thanksgiving

  Many Southland organizations are distributing food to people in need this Thanksgiving. And that’s going a long way during these tough economic times. Just ask 49-year-old Salinda Butler of Long Beach. She waited in line for a food basket at the Longshoremen Union’s hall in Wilmington.

  Salinda Butler: “I am thankful for all the places that are offering help. Especially since I’m disabled and at the moment, my husband is temporarily disabled, and we have six children.

  “And all these places that are helping, especially this place, I really appreciate it, because otherwise we really wouldn’t have anything for Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I’m thankful to be alive and to have these people.”

  Butler learned about the union’s efforts at the church where she volunteers to help feed the homeless.

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  • November 26, 2008 4:37 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Travelers get out of town for Thanksgiving holiday

  For a lot of people, Thanksgiving is a time to spend with family. That’s what Bonnie Sanghvi of Laguna Hills plans to do. She waited to board a flight to India today at L.A. International Airport.

  Bonnie Sanghvi: “I’m going to go see my mom. She’s sick so I’m going to spend some time with her.”

  Sanghvi says she was surprised how short the lines were on what’s supposed to be one of the busiest travel days of the year. L.A. World Airport officials expect just more than one-and-a-half million travelers to pass through L.A. International during the 10-day holiday period that ends Sunday. That represents about 14 percent less passenger traffic than last year.

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  • November 26, 2008 4:32 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Chef/restaurant owner shares thoughts on turkey, tradition

  Some goodies – sweet potatoes, cranberries, and dressing – return to the table every Thanksgiving. But old favorites may assume new forms to satisfy modern tastes, says Susan Feniger. The chef and co-owner of the Border Grill and Ciudad restaurants told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that’s also true when it comes to choosing the turkey.

  Susan Feniger: “There are all those traditional dishes and so I think you know when you’re going to the grocery store or if you’re ordering your turkey, you know obviously – I think people are most aware of now more than ever of getting hormone-free turkeys that aren’t all shot up.”

  Whether or not turkey is the centerpiece of your meal tomorrow, Feniger and her partner-in-cuisine Mary Sue Milliken recommend that cooks make two lists - one of the ingredients you need to pick up, and the other of everything you can do in advance to prepare for the feast.

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  • November 26, 2008 3:56 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Solar installation plant worker shares what he's thankful for

  When it comes to being thankful this Thanksgiving, this fall’s financial meltdown has put the basics front and center for many southern Californians.

  Michael Wolf: “My name is Michael Wolf, I live in Whittier, California. What am I thankful for? Being alive and having a job. It’s just hard to have a job these days.”

  Michael Wolf works at a solar installation plant just south of downtown Los Angeles.

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  • November 26, 2008 3:40 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Metrolink running on special Thanksgiving special, offering discounts

  If you’re planning Thanksgiving travel within the Southland, KPCC’s Brian Watt says Metrolink might have a train for you.

  Brian Watt: On Thanksgiving Day, the rail system’s San Bernardino and Antelope Valley lines run on their normal Sunday schedule. On the Inland Empire/Orange County line, the trains run on a special holiday schedule. Francisco Oaxaca - a spokesman for Metrolink - says the commuter rail system started operating at least one route on Thanksgiving Day five years ago.

  Francisco Oaxaca: It’s gradually gotten a little more popular. People are realizing that everybody is out on the freeways on Thanksgiving Day almost even worse than on a regular weekday commute and they’re seeing that the train is an option for them to avoid traffic and save time.

  Watt:And save money. Thanksgiving Day fares are 25 percent off. And a round trip ticket you purchase on Thanksgiving Day will be good through Sunday. It’ll also allow an adult to bring along up to three children age 17 and under for free.

  Link: Metrolink

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  • November 26, 2008 3:39 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• LAX travelers concerned about unrest in India

  The Tom Bradley International Terminal at LAX is churning this afternoon with passengers heading to Mumbai, India. That’s where gunmen, in an orchestrated attack on several locations, killed at least 78 people today and took Westerners hostage. Navin Sanghvi of Laguna Hills is from Mumbai. He’s heading home with his wife to visit family.

  Navin Sanghvi: “Our relatives, our immediate family, they live in a - just, very close to where the action is, so we are a little concerned. We had talked this morning and so far everything is fine with them, so we are a little relieved with that.”

  Sanghvi says it’ll be nice to get home safely, and he hopes the violence will ease up. He points out that several terrorist attacks have taken place in India in recent years.

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  • November 26, 2008 3:31 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs, Transportation

• Westwood parking lot manager shares what he's thankful for

  It’s the time of year to count your blessings. KPCC’s Molly Peterson asked a Westwood parking lot manager what he’s thankful for.

  Arturo Aguilar: My name is Arturo Aguilar. I’m expecting my first kid anytime, anytime.
  Molly Peterson: Do you know whether it’s going to be a boy or a girl?
  Aguilar: It’s going to be a boy. And I’m happy!

  Aguilar’s wife is nine months pregnant. He says he has a name already picked out for his son – appropriate for the season: it’s Angel.

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  • November 26, 2008 3:28 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Former local union president barred from union for life, ordered to return over $1 million

  A former president of California’s largest union local has been barred today from participating in that union from now on. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says the decision arises from an internal review by the Service Employees International Union.

  Cheryl Devall: The union’s investigation of Tyrone Freeman followed the Los Angeles Times’ reporting on his alleged misuse of union funds. Freeman had been president of SEIU Local 6434, one of the country’s fastest-growing locals.

  Most of its 160,000 members work in home health care. The Times stories - and later the union - accused Freeman of spending union money on his wedding, on improper payments to a production company his wife owned, and on other expenses including membership in a cigar club.

  Freeman has denied doing anything wrong, but in August he stepped down from leading the local. Service Employees president Andy Stern said in a statement that it’s tragic and unconscionable that a young leader with such great potential would violate the constitution of the international and the trust of its members.

  In addition to barring him from membership for life - the union’s harshest penalty – Stern also ordered Freeman to return more than $1 million in misappropriated money.

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  • November 26, 2008 2:36 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Day laborers and their families call for reform, end to ICE raids

  Los Angeles area day laborers and their families are calling on President-elect Barack Obama to stop raids from federal immigration authorities.

  About 200 demonstrators marched through North Hollywood this morning carrying white wooden crosses. Protester Maria Garcia said each one represented people who’ve died trying to cross from Mexico into the United States.

  Maria Garcia: “We don’t really know who they are. There’s not much of an identity of any of the persons, but at least we’re trying to honor them and make sure that people recognize that every year about 500 die when they cross the border.”

  The Coalition for Humane Rights of Los Angeles coordinated the demonstration.

  Marchers urged Obama to support what they call “just and humane” immigration reform that would legalize the status of people who entered this country illegally and worked here for years. Opponents of that take on reform say it would reward people who’ve broken the law.

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  • November 26, 2008 2:33 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Federal jury convicts Drew of misdemeanor crimes in MySpace cyber-bullying case

  A federal jury in Los Angeles has convicted Lori Drew of misdemeanor crimes in the MySpace cyber-bullying case. KPCC’s Brian Watt has more.

  Brian Watt: Prosecutors claimed that Lori Drew of suburban St. Louis, Missouri had created the fake MySpace account of a 16-year-old boy in order to torment a 13-year-old girl. Drew allegedly set up the account in cahoots with her daughter, a rival of the girl.

  That girl – Megan Meier – committed suicide after she received an e-mail from the fictitious boy that said the world would be a better place without her.

  Missouri prosecutors declined to bring a case against Lori Drew. They said her actions were reprehensible, but not illegal. The U.S. attorney in Los Angeles – Thomas O’Brien ‐ took the case because the social networking site is based in Beverly Hills. The trial lasted five days.
  
  

  The jury found Lori Drew guilty of misdemeanor charges of accessing a computer without authorization. But jurors rejected felony charges that Drew had acted to deliberately inflict emotional distress.
  
  

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  • November 26, 2008 12:50 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Metrolink alters schedule for Thanksgiving

  Three Metrolink commuter rail routes will alter their typical service on Thanksgiving Day. On the San Bernardino and Antelope Valley lines, trains will run on their normal Sunday schedule. On the Inland Empire/Orange County line, trains will run on a special four-round-trip schedule. Metrolink spokesman Francisco Oaxaca says the rail system’s offering some good deals on fares.

  Francisco Oaxaca: “They’ll be 25 percent off, which is our regular weekend discount. And we also have a special promotion where a round trip ticket purchased on Thanksgiving Day will not only be good for the entire weekend – Thursday through Sunday – but will allow you to travel with three children ages 17 and under for free as well.”

  More information is available online at MetrolinkTrains.com.

  Tools

  • November 26, 2008 11:57 AM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Rains bring mudslide fears to California burn areas

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rains swept across Southern California on Wednesday, bringing flash flood warnings to areas already burned by wildfire and worries from thousands of residents whose homes were spared by flames that they could now face destructive mudslides instead.

  A torrent of early morning showers spurred an evacuation order in Orange County, where at least 1,500 people in Yorba Linda were told to leave their homes.

  “Nothing has gone down yet, but the rain met the threshold where we needed to get people out,” Orange County Fire Captain Greg McKeown said.

  Voluntary evacuations had already been called for in the city of 65,000 southeast of Los Angeles, which was torched by a huge fire earlier this month.

  In another wildfire-ravaged area in Santa Barbara County, an evacuation order affecting up to 2,200 homes remained in effect Wednesday morning after light rain had fallen in the area for several hours. Many had to evacuate for the second time in a month

  “The fire wiped out all vegetation and the soil is very unstable,” said county spokesman William Boyer. “We’re talking about some very steep slopes up there.”

  In San Diego, flooding forced the closure of northbound lanes of Interstate 5 for several hours Wednesday morning after at least two vehicles hydroplaned in a few feet of water and crashed, the biggest of several traffic-snarling closures as morning rush hour and a rush of Thanksgiving travel arrived.

  Flash flood warnings were issued Wednesday morning in wildfire-charred areas in Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties.

  In northern Los Angeles County rain fell at nearly an inch per hour early Wednesday before calming as dawn approached.

  Homeowners hurriedly stacked sandbags on Tuesday and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ordered state agencies to prepare to aid local agencies in case of disaster.

  “The state stands ready to help local governments protect lives and property,” he said.

  A low-pressure area off the coast was heading northeast and could bring an inch of rain through Thanksgiving and up to 4 inches in the mountains, said Stan Wasowski, a forecaster with the National Weather Service in San Diego.

  A series of wildfires stoked by Santa Ana winds damaged or destroyed about 1,000 homes in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, Santa Barbara and San Bernardino counties this month. Those burn areas combined equaled about 65 square miles. In addition, October wildfires burned dozens more homes and scorched the equivalent of more than 35 square miles. Other areas remain scarred from fires in recent years.

  Without the fire-related risks, rain might be appreciated in parched Southern California. Downtown Los Angeles had recorded only .27 inch of precipitation since the July 1 start of the rain year — 1.35 inches below normal for this time.

  Associated Press writers Raquel Maria Dillon, James Beltran and Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.

  Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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  • November 26, 2008 8:30 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Ethel Bradley, wife of former L.A. mayor, dies at 89

  L.A.’s longest-serving first lady died today. Ethel Bradley was 89 years old. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde offers this remembrance.

  Kitty Felde: She was born Ethel May Arnold, and she met her future husband at her father’s church. In those days, Tom Bradley was a newly-minted L.A. police officer.

  His political career eventually took him to City Hall, and Ethel Bradley accompanied him to Getty House, the Mayor’s official residence. There, she lovingly tended the many rose bushes and entertained visiting dignitaries, including Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth.

  During their five-decade marriage, Tom Bradley once told the Los Angeles Times that his busy political schedule guaranteed only three nights a year he was certain to spend with his wife: her birthday, his birthday, and the Academy Awards.

  Ethel Bradley founded a women’s volunteer group called Las Angelenas, and co-founded the Black Women’s Forum.

  L.A.’s current mayor, Antonio Villaraigosa, said the city “will remember her as a woman of grace, with a supreme commitment to her family, a tireless community spirit, and the Dodgers’ biggest fan.”

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  • November 25, 2008 6:08 PM
  • Categories: History, Politics/Public Affairs

• Orange County supervisors cut county budget

  Orange County supervisors have agreed to trim the county’s budget. Some supervisors are concerned that, given the sour economy and California’s budget struggles, these cuts may be the first of many. KPCC’s Susan Valot has the story from today’s Board of Supervisors meeting in Santa Ana.

  Susan Valot: For about an hour, Orange County Supervisors duked it out over what they each thought the county should cut. In the end, they approved slashing $32 million from a county budget of almost $7 billion.

  Supervisor Bill Campbell calls the situation “extremely serious.” He doesn’t think these cuts are going to be enough.

  Supervisor Bill Campbell: I honestly believe that we are going to have to reduce our expenditures to a level that we will either go into some sort of furlough program or direct reductions in staff. I think it’s coming.

  Valot: The supervisors had argued over giving up money from a special fund intended for parks. Each wanted to protect projects under negotiation in their districts. Each supervisor eventually agreed to direct $750,000 of that fund toward patching up the county budget.

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  • November 25, 2008 6:04 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Orange County Sheriff will hold off on revoking concealed-weapons permits

  Orange County Sheriff Sandra Hutchens says she’s sending a letter to California’s Attorney General. She’s seeking some guidance on concealed weapon permits.

  The sheriff tightened her department’s concealed weapon permit policy after allegations that indicted ex-sheriff Mike Carona exchanged permits for campaign donations. Permit holders got mad when Hutchens mailed more than 400 letters asking them for more information about why they have “good cause” to carry a hidden weapon.

  But today, Hutchens told county supervisors she’ll wait to hear from Attorney General Jerry Brown.

  Sheriff Sandra Hutchens: “Until we get to some resolution on this specific issue, I will not be revoking any permits until we can resolve this. So we will stay those revocations until that time.”

  One reason the sheriff’s holding off is because some people are concerned that revoked permits could show up on their records. County supervisors agreed to ask the state Department of Justice whether that’s true, and whether there’s any way to note the revocations are only because of a policy change.

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  • November 25, 2008 5:54 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Orange County prepares for storm to hit recently burned areas

  The sandbags are up. The concrete barriers are in place. Now, people who live in Orange County’s recently-burned areas are waiting for the rain. Officials in Yorba Linda have already called for a voluntary evacuation of three neighborhoods, including the Box Canyon area and the Brush Canyon area.

  Orange County Assistant Emergency Manager Vicki Osborn told her county’s Board of Supervisors this morning that the agency will station extra patrols in the burn areas once the rain starts. Osborn says the heaviest rain’s expected overnight.

  Vicki Osborn: “Air support between county fire, county sheriff, and Anaheim will be coordinated to ensure that we have a helicopter available night-long for recon missions so we have eyes in the sky as best we can.”

  Emergency officials have also established the Tommy Lasorda Fieldhouse in Yorba Linda as an evacuee shelter if needed.

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  • November 25, 2008 5:51 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Society/Culture

• International Longshore and Warehouse Workers Union distributes Thanksgiving food baskets

  For the 11th year, the International Longshore and Warehouse Workers Union’s distributed Thanksgiving food baskets to families in need. Twenty-three-year-old Tabitha Romero is a “casual” – or an apprentice – with the union. She called the opportunity to help assemble the baskets a blessing during tough economic times.

  Tabitha Romero: “I can do something to give back to the community that has done so much for me, and you know, it’s a way that I feel less guilty about the things that I have, as long as I’m actively seeking ways to help others that are less fortunate than myself.”

  The union works with outreach organizations and shelters to distribute more than 1,500 baskets. Each one includes a 10-pound turkey, stuffing and cornbread mix, rice, beans, canned goods, and fresh fruits and vegetables. Throughout the Southland, organizations are sponsoring similar food distribution efforts through Thanksgiving.

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  • November 25, 2008 4:40 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Teachers union head says cuts to LAUSD bureaucracy are overdue

  The number two man at the L.A. Unified School District says the public schools need to close a projected $700 million deficit over the next three years. Deputy Superintendent Ramon Cortines plans on cutting up to $140 million next year on spending for administration and support staff.

  A.J. Duffy is the head of United Teachers of Los Angeles. The union head says it’s about time the district slashed the size of its bureaucracy.

  A.J. Duffy: “Here’s what we have – we have finally come to the crash of this district after years and years and years of horrible mismanagement of fiefdom building. And now it falls to Cortines, and in part, myself, to help tear this bureaucracy down.”

  Duffy told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that the teachers union will work with Cortines and the District to make sure cuts don’t affect the classroom.

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  • November 25, 2008 3:21 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA County Senior Services plans meetings to coordinate care

  As baby boomers retire, Los Angeles County’s senior population is growing.

  The 2000 Census indicated that one-and-a-half million people older than 60 called the Golden State home. L.A. County’s senior services director, Cynthia Banks, expects that’ll double in the next 22 years.

  Cynthia Banks: “The economic downturn tells us now that we know that we know that many of our baby boomers and our current seniors are gonna need our services even more than they currently do. So, we need to make sure that we have a structure in place to provide those services in a way that is seamless.”

  In preparation, L.A. County is holding a series of neighborhood meetings to hear seniors’ suggestions on what needs improvement.

  Banks says her department’s fielding all recommendations on how to streamline the county’s 40 departments that offer 100 different services for seniors.

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  • November 25, 2008 3:16 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Top LAUSD official says spending cuts shouldn't hit the classroom

  A top official at the L.A. Unified School District says the public schools face a projected $700 million deficit over the next three years. Deputy Superintendent Ramon Cortines says he needs to cut up to $140 million next year from the budgets for administration and support staff. Cortines is adamant that the budget mess have as little impact as possible on the quality of kids’ education.

  Ramon Cortines: “Students have to be college ready, career ready, and that means advanced placement, AP courses, remedial courses, A through G requirements, etc. Sure there’s going to be some trimming, but the students will feel it the least.”

  Cortines spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

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  • November 25, 2008 3:14 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Assemblyman Laird describes budget bill up for vote today

  The state legislature is taking one last crack today at the gaping budget deficit. The special session called to deal with the deficit ends on Sunday.

  Democratic Assemblyman John Laird of Monterey sits on the Assembly Budget Committee. He told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that the bill the Democrats are putting forward today is a mixture of cuts and new revenues, with no “gimmicks” and no borrowing.

  John Laird: “The package today will be a bit over $8 billion of new revenues and bit over $8 billion of cuts over two fiscal years. And overall $17 billion package which will still leave, over two years, about a $10 billion hole in the budget.”

  Republicans continue to resist any new taxes, saying any budget deal should rely on spending cuts and limits on future spending.

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  • November 25, 2008 3:10 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Deputy superintendent says LAUSD needs to cut up to $140 million next year

  The number two man overseeing L.A.’s public schools says they need to cut spending this next year by up to $140 million. Deputy Superintendent Ramon Cortines says he’ll ask all eight local district offices to cut their spending in half, and he plans on slashing more than a hundred million dollars from the budget for LAUSD headquarters. In an interview with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison,” Cortines insisted that the cuts will not affect the classroom.

  Ramon Cortines: “I won’t tolerate that. I’ve made it pretty clear, I’ve met with all of the principals in the district, that these cuts, while they will mean less administration and less support people, we are not going to do it on the backs of students.”

  Even with the cuts he’s laid out, Cortines says L.A. Unified is facing an even larger deficit year after next.

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  • November 25, 2008 2:44 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Supervisor Burke retires, attends last Board of Supervisors meeting

  Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke attended her final meeting as an elected official today.

  It marked the end of a 40-year political career during which she became the first black woman in the state legislature, the first black woman to represent California in Congress, and the first black chair of the L.A. County Board of Supervisors.

  Yvonne Burke: “I think the most important thing in terms of how people remember me are the people I run into on the streets and sometimes they’re women – even men, they may be of different ethnicities – but they come up and say “Ya know, I was able to go to college, I went on to achieve because I saw that you could do it.”

  Burke, who’s 76 years old, has represented the county’s Second District for 16 years. State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas succeeds her on Monday

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  • November 25, 2008 2:20 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• MySpace suicide trial goes to jury today

  The trial of a Missouri woman accused of prompting a teenage girl’s suicide goes to the jury today in Los Angeles. KPCC’s Steve Julian says the judge, meanwhile, is considering a motion to dismiss the case.

  Steve Julian: U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Brien told jurors yesterday that Lori Drew knew she was breaking the law, but shrugged it off. He says the 49 year old defendant posed as a boy named Josh Evans and tormented a 13-year-old girl. That girl, Megan Meier, was a rival of Drew’s daughter and was being treated for depression.

  After receiving a message that the world would be better off without her, Meier killed herself. Last week, a friend of Drew’s family, 20-year-old Ashley Grills, testified under a grant of immunity that she - not Drew - created and maintained the MySpace account, and sent the final message.

  Missouri prosecutors declined to bring a case, finding Drew’s actions were reprehensible, but not illegal. The U.S. Attorney filed the case in Los Angeles where MySpace is based.

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  • November 25, 2008 10:14 AM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• LA County Supervisor Burke retires

  Today marks the end of a long political career. Los Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Burke will take part in her last meeting as an elected official. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Yvonne Burke’s been a fixture on the L.A. political scene for four decades, starting in 1967 as a member of the state Assembly. In 1973, she became the first African-American woman in Congress from the West Coast - and the first member of Congress to give birth while in office.

  In 1978, Burke won the Democratic Party’s nomination for state attorney general but lost the election to George Deukmejian. In 1979, then-governor Jerry Brown appointed her to fill a vacancy on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. She promptly lost her bid to get elected to the position. Burke became a UC regent before finally winning a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1992.

  For the past 16 years, she’s represented the second district that stretches from Culver City to South L.A. to Compton. Some praise her as a pioneering African-American woman in politics. Others say she was ineffective in her later years, especially her inability to fix problems at troubled King-Harbor Hospital in her district.

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  • November 25, 2008 10:11 AM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Volunteer organization helps prevent wildfires

  People who lived in rural areas of Sylmar may have maintained a city way of thinking about their neighborhoods. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario spoke with a fire watch volunteer who said that mindset may explain why the recent Sayre fire left hundreds of people homeless.

  Patricia Nazario: Houses in Sylmar aren’t interwoven in the wildlands as they are in Lake Arrowhead. But some homes cluster in traditional suburban settings along the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

  Abigail Bok: People tend to think that they’re in a safer area.

  Nazario: Abigail Bok is a civilian volunteer with the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station near Malibu. She says many Sylmar residents dismissed the idea of a wildfire threatening their suburban-looking neighborhood.

  Bok: And we’ve seen in recent fires that the fires can overwhelm even neighborhoods that are built to fire-safety standards.

  Nazario: Bok supervises two groups of Fire Watch volunteers in Topanga Canyon and Calabasas. Sylmar doesn’t maintain that kind of team. Bok says that watchful homeowners could help prevent another disaster – and help educate people about the very real potential for wildfires.

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  • November 24, 2008 5:01 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• New House Energy and Commerce Committee chair Waxman wants reductions in carbon emissions

  Los Angeles Congressman Henry Waxman says he will use his new power in Congress to push for more reductions in carbon emissions. Waxman will be taking over the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

  Henry Waxman: “We’ve got to have a very clear policy to reduce those emissions because it’ll take us off using fossil fuels and we will look at alternatives so we don’t have to become so dependent, as we now are, to Saudi Arabia and other oil producing countries that don’t have our best interest at heart.”

  Waxman told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that alternative energy policies will also help the economy by creating new, sustainable jobs.

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  • November 24, 2008 4:58 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Griffith Park's Holiday Light Festival begins

  Weather permitting, L.A.’s Griffith Park will be the setting for an evening stroll under the holiday lights, starting tomorrow night.

  KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says that through Sunday, December 7th, pedestrians will have the annual Holiday Light Festival all to themselves.

  Cheryl Devall: For the 13th year of the light show, walkers will be able to enjoy the mile-long route through Griffith Park without having to share the road with cars. Festival organizers suggest that visitors wear jackets for the cool weather, and comfortable shoes. Next weekend, the final three pedestrian-only nights will include a family fair with refreshments and information about fun activities for all ages.

  The free attraction, a Southland seasonal favorite sponsored by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, is open from 5 to 10 every evening. Starting Monday, December 8th, cars, vans, light trucks, and riders on horseback will be welcome at the Holiday Light Festival… every night through December 30th.

  Note: Bicycle riders get the park tonight until 10 for another zero-emissions tradition - the light festival’s bike-only preview.

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  • November 24, 2008 4:48 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Society/Culture

• Representative Henry Waxman wants stimulus package to help Medi-Cal

  L.A. Congressman Henry Waxman plans on using his newly won committee chairmanship to help shape President-elect Obama’s stimulus package. Waxman will chair the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

  He says his committee will play a role because he wants to help states that are having trouble funding health programs, such as Medi-Cal in California.

  Henry Waxman: “What we are going to try to do in the stimulus package is provide more direct money to the states so they can fund those health care costs for the people that are eligible rather than simply eliminate them from being able to get access to the services through the Medicaid system.”

  Waxman spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

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  • November 24, 2008 4:45 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Health, Politics/Public Affairs

• 'Arson Watch' volunteer organization patrols mountains to prevent wildfires

  A fire watch volunteer who’s been helping to protect homes in Topanga Canyon and Calabasas thinks Sylmar could benefit from a group like hers. Abigail Bok says her monitors kick into gear on high fire danger days.

  Abigail Bok: “We patrol the mountains in our own vehicles looking for fires or fire hazards and educating the public about what can cause fires, and we communicate via 2-way radio in our cars.”

  “Arson Watch” adapted the “Neighborhood Watch” concept 25 years ago for areas at high risk of fires. Watch groups in Topanga Canyon, Calabasas, Malibu, Agoura, and Chatsworth help to protect the Santa Monica and Santa Susana Mountains from wildfires. Last week’s Sayre fire in Sylmar destroyed more than 600 structures, including 482 mobile homes.

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  • November 24, 2008 3:59 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Environment

• Congressman Andrews talks about 401(k) retirement plan stability

  As winter approaches, many peoples’ retirement plans are offering less protection than ever against harsh economic times. New Jersey Congressman Robert Andrews, chair of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, described what his committee discovered during recent hearings on the stability of 401(k) retirement plans.

  Congressman Robert Andrews: “We found out a significant number of 401(k) plans do not have an option where a retiree could shift, let’s say, from equities to treasury bills, something safer and more secure. So one of the things we’re taking a look at is requiring every plan to have as an option a safe harbor, a treasury-bill-type investment that’s designed for periods like we’re in right now.”

  Andrews told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that people near retirement age who chose only equity in their 401(k)s have witnessed what he called “catastrophic effects” on those plans in this turbulent economy.

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  • November 24, 2008 3:33 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Cato Institute expert says Citigroup had other options besides a government bailout

  The stock market welcomed the government’s bailout of Citigroup, but some economists disagreed with the move. Michael Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. He says Citigroup could have taken other steps to raise capital.

  Michael Tanner: “It didn’t want to sell off its brokerage arm. It did want to sell itself. There were actually merger possibilities out there, but it wanted to maintain its independence, and it did so by putting the taxpayers on the hook for this money. I think essentially we’ve got to allow companies to reap the rewards of their bad decisions sooner or later.”

  Tanner spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle. Some members of Congress are unhappy with the Citigroup deal. L.A. Congressman Brad Sherman argued that taxpayers are assuming too much risk and will not receive enough rewards if Citigroup turns around. Sherman called on President-elect Obama to renegotiate the deal once he takes office.

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  • November 24, 2008 2:30 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Cato Institute expert questions bailouts of large financial firms

  While Wall Street surged today on the news of the government’s bailout of Citigroup, some economists questioned the move. Michael Tanner is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.

  Michael Tanner: “We are essentially coming to the point where everything is too big to fail. CitiBank was too big to fail; AIG was too big to fail; Fannie and Freddie were too big to fail. Sooner or later someone has got to fail. We can’t simply reward everyone for bad decisions.”

  Tanner spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle.

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  • November 24, 2008 2:27 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA Mayor Villaraigosa sets goal to meet 10 percent of city's energy needs with solar power

  Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa set a goal today to meet 10 percent of the city’s energy needs with solar power within a dozen years.

  Mayor Villaraigosa predicted that the planned solar program would do locally what the next president will do to stimulate the national economy.

  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: “What we’re doing here is exactly what President-elect Obama has been talking about. We need to create and leverage the new economy, build jobs in the clean tech sector, unite our infrastructure investments with that effort, and do so in a way that leverages both local, state, and national goals.”

  The program known as Solar L.A. includes proposals to boost solar on residential rooftops, install systems on city-owned property, and purchase solar energy from developers beyond the L.A. basin.

  The city council, commissioners for the Department of Water and Power, and voters in L.A. must each approve parts of the plan to bring 1,300 megawatts of solar power online.

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  • November 24, 2008 2:17 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Pellicano sentenced for illegal wiretapping for billionaire Kerkorian

  An attorney convicted in a high-profile Hollywood wiretapping case landed a three-year federal prison sentence today. Details from KPCC’s Cheryl Devall.

  Cheryl Devall: Private investigator Anthony Pellicano used to brag about his star-studded clientele. He used unconventional methods to dig dirt on and intimidate potential adversaries of celebrities, including action star Sylvester Stallone and comedian Chris Rock.

  In August a federal jury convicted Pellicano and lawyer Terry Christensen of conspiring to wiretap the phone calls of the former wife of billionaire developer Kirk Kerkorian in a dispute over paternity and child support. Christensen said little during his sentencing hearing, except to refer to a written statement in which he expressed remorse for having done business with Pellicano.

  The judge sentenced Christensen to three years in prison, three years probation and a quarter-million dollar fine. He’s free on $100,000 bond pending an appeal. Pellicano’s scheduled for sentencing next month. He may face prison time for a separate wiretapping and racketeering conviction.

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  • November 24, 2008 2:13 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Criminal Justice

• Talks between SAG and AMPTP break down over weekend; SAG to call for strike vote

  A federal mediator was no help. Contract talks broke down over the weekend between the Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers. KPCC’s Brian Watt says the Guild plans now to ask its members to authorize a strike.

  Brian Watt: Both sides issued dueling statements in the wee hours of Saturday morning. The Guild accused the producers alliance of continuing to insist on terms SAG’s negotiating committee could not “responsibly accept” on behalf of members.

  Now it plans to wage an education campaign to convince its members to vote for a strike. The Guild’s statement says it’s still committed to avoiding a strike, but can’t allow the producers to “experiment” with actors’ careers.

  The producers alliance accused SAG of asking its members to bail out a failed negotiating strategy and of tone deafness at a time of historic economic crisis. SAG did not set a timeline for the strike authorization vote, but the process is expected to take at least 30 days. Seventy-five percent of voters must approve a strike.

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  • November 24, 2008 1:15 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• US Geological Survey studying Santa Barbara County areas during storms

  The U.S. Geological Survey will be keeping close watch on the rain forecast for this week. The agency plans to use radar to monitor areas of Santa Barbara County that burned in recent wildfires. Sue Cannon is a research geologist for the Survey. She explained what researchers hope to learn.

  Sue Cannon: “There are areas within the terrain that always get rain. If it’s going to rain, there may be specific valleys or high peaks that always get hit by a storm. So this helps us from a warning point of view, that we can narrow down which areas within a fire are more prone to debris flow production.”

  The areas Cannon and other plan to monitor include the area north of Goleta where the Gap Fire burned, and Montecito, where this month’s Tea Fire started. Last year, the agency used radar to monitor burn areas in Malibu and Ventura County.

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  • November 24, 2008 12:59 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Science/Technology

• Research geologist warns burst of rainfall could cause landslides

  There’s a chance of rain tonight, but the National Weather Service says the most significant rainfall should begin tomorrow night. Some foothill and mountains areas of L.A. County could get three to four inches. That raises the possibility of landslides in areas that were recently burned by wildfire.

  Sue Cannon is a research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey. She says it’s not just the amount of rainfall that’s a concern.

  Sue Cannon: “It’s how intense it falls that really triggers the debris flow. So if three to four inches is spread over many days we’ll be fine. But if it comes in a short burst – we need to really be worried.”

  Homeowners and volunteers have been filling sandbags in areas that were recently burned, including Sylmar and Yorba Linda.

  The U.S. Geological Survey will be using radar to monitor the areas that were burned in Santa Barbara County. That will help researchers figure out which parts of that terrain are most prone to mudslides.

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  • November 24, 2008 12:56 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Science/Technology

• Public Health officials warn of botulism infection among heroin users

  Public health officials are warning heroin users about a potentially deadly strain of botulism that’s infected at least two people. One more case is being investigated. All are from the Long Beach-South Bay area.

  They were infected with “wound botulism” after injecting black tar heroin under the skin – as opposed to intravenously. Los Angeles County Public Health Director, Dr. Jonathan Fielding, says the cases point to contamination in the heroin supply.

  Dr. Jonathan Fielding: “By putting this alert out we’re hoping that some of those who use heroin are going to be alert to this, and perhaps look for a different type of supply chain, realizing there could be some real problems with what they have been using or may be preparing to use.”

  Heroin is usually cut with honey or dirt, which can carry the toxin-producing bacteria. Symptoms include shortness of breath, blurred vision, slurred speech, and – if not treated – paralysis and death. The county has notified local emergency rooms and ordered anti-toxins from the Centers for Disease Control to treat patients.

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  • November 24, 2008 12:47 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Cal State San Bernardino gets exclusive Egyptian exhibit

  Priceless artifacts from the University College of London’s Egyptian collection are making their debut in the United States this year. The exhibit began its exclusive West Coast appearance this past weekend at Cal State San Bernardino. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas has more.

  Steven Cuevas: More than 200 objects are on display, including what’s believed to be the world’s oldest dress.

  Eva Kirsch: It’s almost 5,000 years old.

  Cuevas: Eva Kirsch is director of the Robert Fullerton Museum at Cal State San Bernardino. She’s also the curator of the “Excavating Egypt” exhibit.

  Kirsch: It’s an Old Kingdom beaded knit dress that was put over and under dress as an adornment. It’s a very rare object and it looks gorgeous on display.

  Cuevas: The bead-knit dress, gold mummy masks, funerary statues, jewelry – these antiquities were excavated over half a century ago by legendary British archeologist Sir William Petrie and his successors. Petrie is considered the father of modern archeology, someone who valued Egypt’s history as much as he did her buried treasures. Eva Kirsch:

  Kirsch: He was very innovative in teaching not only the students but also the workers who worked with him. I mean he kind of developed the early methodology for archeology that a lot of scholars and archeologist actually use today. The exhibit has many different layers and stories to tell, but he is the unifying element.

  Cuevas: The exhibit is “Excavating Egypt.” It runs through February at Cal State San Bernardino’s Robert Fullerton Museum. If you miss it, you can always view the Fullerton’s permanent collection of more than a thousand other Egyptian antiquities.

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  • November 24, 2008 12:42 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Santa Barbara crews prepare for rain in fire zones

  In Santa Barbara, public works crews have started clearing debris from the Tea Fire to prepare for winter rains. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports residents and volunteers are getting ready for wet weather too.

  Molly Peterson: Even while the Tea Fire still was active, Santa Barbara officials were working on a plan for dealing with erosion that could follow from a rainstorm. City crews are focusing on the Sycamore Creek watershed, which could be a conduit for debris flows. Most of the 2,000 acres that burned drain into Sycamore Canyon.

  The city and county of Santa Barbara have started handing out free sandbags to residents who want to divert mud flows from their properties. And local authorities are encouraging homeowners who have flood insurance to make sure that it’s in order.

  The Mountain Drive Community Association encouraged residents and volunteers to meet this weekend at Cold Spring School with shovels and equipment to help shore up hillsides.

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  • November 24, 2008 12:38 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Car museum and car design college partner for first time

  The Southland college that’s produced the world’s top car designers and Southern California’s largest car museum are partnering for the first time. The exhibition’s called “Imagining the Future” and it opened this weekend. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Graduates of Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design have gone on to design the new Volkswagen Beetle, the old Batmobile, and the Ferrari Enzo.

  The Art Center-designed permanent exhibit at L.A.’s Petersen Automotive Museum will allow visitors to step into a fully equipped auto design studio of the past and present. Stewart Reed, chair of Art Center’s transportation design department, says the intent is to shed light on his well-paid profession.

  Stewart Reed: So by being able to see how the process works and how in fact there is this hybrid profession that is sort of right in the middle of art and technology is quite exciting. So we’re as excited that the students will see it as we are that the educators that bring the student groups will see it.

  Guzman-Lopez: The exhibit will run indefinitely. In January, Art Center students will begin offering demonstrations on how to design the cars of the future.

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  • November 24, 2008 12:35 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Education

• Coming Southern California storms not likely to alleviate drought

  A pair of storms are heading our way, arriving as early as Tuesday night. That could cause mudslides in burn areas. But the rain isn’t likely to do much to alleviate our four-year drought. More from KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde.

  Kitty Felde: It’s been a dry year. Southern California’s had less than a half an inch of rain since March. JPL’s Bill Patzert says blame the jet stream that’s pushed any potential rain storms up to the Pacific Northwest. And why the cooler than normal summer?

  Bill Patzert: The ocean waters are very, very cool between here and Hawaii, so this summer we had unusually strong onshore breezes.

  Felde: Patzert says that changed this fall when high pressure systems camped out over Nevada, sending us scorching temperatures - turning our autumn into summer.

  Patzert: And occasionally these devil winds that surge out of the canyons in the high deserts and fuel these big fires.

  Felde: Patzert says our drier than normal pattern could last a while longer. A drought in the 1950s and ’60s lasted nearly 20 years. Historically, the region has experienced droughts that last more than half a century.

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  • November 24, 2008 12:32 PM
  • Categories: Science/Technology

• Metrolink train ran a red light; board member calls for contract review

  A federal official says the Metrolink commuter train that sideswiped a freight train Thursday in Rialto ran a red light. Four passengers were hurt in the accident. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration are investigating.

  The accident came only two months after 25 people were killed in the Metrolink collision in Chatsworth. At a meeting of Metrolink’s board of directors Friday, board member Richard Katz asked the commuter rail’s legal team to look at its contract with Veolia - the company that supplies train engineers.

  Richard Katz: This is not acceptable. What happened in Chatsworth is not acceptable. And if – you know, it turns out in Chatsworth that it was Veolia’s fault, we’re gonna want to examine that contract very carefully, before we continue to employ folks who might have been responsible for an accident.

  “These were Veolia engineers here as well, and we want to see: is there a pattern, is there a problem? And just because you have a contract doesn’t mean you’re not gonna be subject to intense scrutiny.”

  The Veolia contract comes up for renewal in June. In the Rialto crash, there were two engineers in the lead locomotive. In the Chatsworth crash, there was only one.

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  • November 24, 2008 10:42 AM
  • Categories: Transportation

• JPL climatologists say 2 storms potentially next week

  Last weekend, there were Santa Ana winds and triple digit temperatures. Next week? Get ready for rain. JPL Climatologist Bill Patzert says there’s a pair of storms heading our way.

  Bill Patzert: “It’s one arriving Tuesday night into Wednesday. And then there’s a second storm right behind it that should be coming in on Friday. We haven’t seen a storm like this in eight months. These two storms - if they do materialize - would certainly be welcome.”

  Since March, we’ve had less than half an inch of rain in Southern California. These storms may not help that much, says Patzert. They might dump most of their moisture further up the coast.

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  • November 21, 2008 5:25 PM
  • Categories: Science/Technology

• Deaf family checks into Oakridge Park fire fictims' assistance center

  The only deaf family that lived in Sylmar’s Oakridge Mobile Home Park checked in at the fire victims’ assistance center today.

  Sixty-eight-year old Andre Dubois and his wife Marcella say interpreters have been their lifeline since last week’s disaster. Speaking through interpreter Jonathan Gleicher, Dubois said reorganizing their lives has been a painstaking process.

  Jonathan Gleicher (interpreting for Andre Dubois): Filing paperwork, FEMA. Her Social Security, DMV, lost the license in the fire. No picture ID. Everything was lost. We had to go to the DMV. Luckily, it was all set up in the gymnasium, and they helped us a lot.”

  The City of L.A. is picking up the tab for the couple’s interpreter. Officials say the assistance center at the Sylmar Recreation Center will remain open to fire victims for as long as there’s a need.

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  • November 21, 2008 4:52 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• School leaders urge lawmakers to avoid further education cuts

  California schools leaders today urged lawmakers to keep their budget axe away from state education funds. The comments came a day after a forecast that big budget deficits are here to stay for the next six years. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: The independent Legislative Analyst’s Office told Californians to brace themselves for $22 billion deficits in state funds each year for the next six years. Lawmakers have been closing smaller deficits in recent years by cutting public schools budgets, among other things.

  Bob Wells is with the trade group that represents public school principals and other administrators. He says Californians expect top notch schools, but spending per student lags behind other states.

  Bob Wells: Before this fiscal year, we were reported to be 46th out of the 50 states. We’ve been cut $4 billion since then.

  There’s a very good chance California will fall dead last out of the 50 states.

  Guzman-Lopez: Lawmakers are negotiating midyear cuts in a special legislative session. An official with the governor’s finance office agreed that schools have suffered deeper cuts than other state programs, but they were given greater flexibility in how to spend their funds.

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  • November 21, 2008 4:49 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment

• Metrolink bosses deal with Rialto crash

  Brian Watt: This was nothing like the September head-on collision in Chatsworth that killed 25 people. In Rialto, both trains were moving at low speed, so the sideswipe caused a little damage – and only four of the 15 Metrolink passengers on board suffered minor injuries.

  Richard Katz: We don’t know why it happened but it’s pretty clear that the Metrolink train was somewhere where it shouldn’t have been.

  Watt: That’s Metrolink Board member Richard Katz. The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration are investigating the crash. And Katz asked Metrolink’s legal team to start looking at options for getting out of its contract with Veolia – the company that staffs Metrolink with train engineers.

  Katz: There were two engineers in this train. You know, what happened, this was - you know, we had two sets of eyes here. So, we have a lot of questions that we need to get answers to. And just ‘cause you have a contract doesn’t mean you’re not gonna be subject to intense scrutiny.

  Watt: The Veolia contract comes up for renewal in June. Katz expects the review panel formed after the Chatsworth crash to report on both accidents at the board’s meeting next month.

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  • November 21, 2008 4:43 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Economists recommends consumer move from private banks to credit unions, community banks

  The federal government has been bailing out the banks, but a number of banks have turned around and raised some of the fees they charge customers. Mike Moebs heads an economic research firm in Chicago. He suggests moving your money out of your commercial bank.

  Mike Moebs: “The community banks and the credit unions, I think, view this as an opportunity to show forth that they are a good source, they are lower priced, they have quality services. And so that’s where I’m recommending consumers go to avoid these large price increases.”

  Moebs spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Fees are going up for a variety of services, including ATM and bounced check fees.

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  • November 21, 2008 4:40 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• 4 Marines plead not guilty to killing couple

  Four Marines from Camp Pendleton have pleaded not guilty to killing a fellow serviceman and his wife last month near Temecula.

  KPCC’s Steven Cuevas says there’s strong evidence linking the men to the crime.

  Steven Cuevas: Marine sergeant Jan Pietrzak and his wife Quiana were shot execution style inside their Winchester home. The couple had just married in August. Two of the defendants worked for Pietrzak in a helicopter maintenance unit. One of those men - 18-year-old Marine Lance Corporal Emrys John – is the alleged shooter.

  The other defendants admit they went to the Pietrzak home to rob the couple. Two of the Marines allegedly talked about killing the newlyweds. The couple’s relatives say race may have been a factor. Sergeant Pietrack was white; his wife was black. The four defendants are black.

  Investigators matched footprints at the crime scene with shoes found in a Camp Pendleton barrack. Some of the couple’s personal belongings were also found at a home off-base. The defendants are being held without bail. All are eligible for the death penalty.

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  • November 21, 2008 4:38 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Metrolink's latest collision raises concern about system

  A top Metrolink official says he knows the commuter rail system is operating under a microscope – especially after yesterday’s train crash near Rialto. But Keith Millhouse – the Metrolink Board vice-chairman – says he’s confident passengers are safe.

  Millhouse and other Metrolink Board members got an update in L.A. about yesterday’s mishap in which a Metrolink train scraped a freight train. Four passengers were hurt. The accident came only two months after 25 people were killed in the Metrolink collision in Chatsworth. Millhouse says Metrolink’s bosses are dedicated to safety.

  Keith Millhouse: “There’s nothing to hide here. It’s a transparent operation, and I want people to know that this system is being operated in the safest manner as possible. And if it’s not, I intend to take whatever steps necessary to fix that, because I ride the system, people from my community ride the system, and I’m not gonna put anybody on a system no matter where they are or where they live in Southern California if I believe that system’s unsafe. I would shut it down before then.”

  Metrolink management is putting pressure on Veolia - the contractor that supplies engineers and other train personnel.

  Federal investigators are looking into yesterday’s crash. The trains involved were traveling at low speeds, so there was no major damage.

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  • November 21, 2008 4:36 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Crews prepare for possible rain in fire-ravaged Yorba Linda neighborhoods

  Crews are already piling up sandbags in Yorba Linda neighborhoods surrounded by burned hillsides. They’re getting ready for rain that could arrive Wednesday.

  Yorba Linda Public Works Director Mark Stowell says volunteers will fill sandbags this weekend, as crews put concrete barriers in place to direct runoff and mudflows. He says drainage channels are clear now – but they could get clogged with ash-laden mud.

  Mark Stowell: “We will monitor it, but we also have to keep the safety of our work crews because these, these flows are swift and fast and quiet and I don’t want to have any of our crews in there trying to clear channels.”

  Orange County officials also have sandbags and hay bales available every Saturday in the Modjeska Canyon area. That region burned last year – and it’s still at risk for mudslides.

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  • November 21, 2008 4:31 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• California education leaders warn of effect of continued cuts on education

  Education leaders reacted today to a prediction by California’s legislative analyst that the state will face annual deficits of $22 billion for the next six years.

  State Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell urged lawmakers to protect schools funds.

  Jack O’Connell: “The governor and the LAO have presented proposals to address this budget deficit. But I strongly disagree with any plan that includes cutting any education funding. The current budget was balanced based upon almost exclusively all cuts. We must not let our national and state economic meltdown translate into an education meltdown in California.”

  The governor has proposed more than $2 billion in midyear cuts to education.

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  • November 21, 2008 3:16 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education

• LA Auto Show launches in midst of economic, ecological concerns

  The Los Angeles Auto Show – curtain raiser to a season of similar shows throughout North America – starts Friday at the L.A. Convention Center. KPCC’s Brian Watt says this year’s focus is on green technology, and on driving through some tough economic times.

  Brian Watt: The show begins at the end of a week in which the American auto industry went to Washington hat-in-hand… and retreated, for the time being, with an empty hat. But, says Denise Gray, the show must go on.

  Denise Gray: How I get through it every day is to stay on task.

  Watt: As director of Global Battery Engineering for General Motors, Gray’s leaving the economic crisis to the higher-ups in her company – and to the federal government. She’s come in from Michigan to talk about the battery she’s working on for the Chevrolet Volt. It’s supposed to power the car for 40 fuel-and-emissions-free miles – then plug in and recharge while the driver works or sleeps.

  Gray: My issue is to make sure that battery gets designed, gets developed, gets validated, comes out on time, high reliability, at the end of 2010.

  Watt: Although it’s two years out from dealer showrooms, the Volt is one of many hybrids ready for its sneak preview at the L.A. Auto Show.

  Note: The Auto Show continues through the Sunday after Thanksgiving at the L.A. Convention Center.

  LINK: LA Auto Show

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  • November 20, 2008 7:14 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Transportation

• LA Auto Show starts Friday

  At the end of a week in which the American auto industry didn’t get the economic help it sought from Washington, the Los Angeles Auto Show starts Friday.

  Detroit’s meltdown doesn’t mean foreign auto-makers are about to cash in. Chris Hosford is a North American vice president for Korean automaker Hyundai.

  Chris Hosford: “When 3 major industrial players in the United States – General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler – suffer, the American economy suffers. When the American economy suffers, it’s bad for all of the businesses, including a business like Hyundai. We really want what’s good for the American economy, and we believe that a healthy American auto industry is part of that.”

  The LA Auto Show continues through the Sunday after Thanksgiving at the downtown Los Angeles Convention Center. Tickets are $10. Children 12 and younger get in free if they’re with an adult.

  LINK: LA Auto Show

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  • November 20, 2008 7:02 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Transportation

• Water quality board votes to end commercial septic tanks in Malibu

  Los Angeles’ regional water quality control board has voted to end commercial septic tanks in the heart of Malibu. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has the story.

  Molly Peterson: Water regulators suspect that septic tanks are leaking bacterial pollution into Malibu Lagoon, onto Surfrider Beach, and into area ground water. A sort of manmade wetlands intended to capture bacteria hasn’t solved the problem. Regional water board chair Fran Diamond says regulators have been waiting for the city to take stronger action.

  Fran Diamond: And it’s been many, many years. And we don’t see any real plan, and we certainly do not see any date, even a hoped-for date in the near or even not-so-near future, when that would happen.

  Peterson: Malibu’s city leaders have called a sewer system a gateway to sprawl. They’ve argued that other sources of bacterial pollution are to blame for dirty beaches. Now, Malibu and water regulators will hash out a deal in the next year that would ban septic tanks in the city center, limit them on commercial sites, and develop a wastewater treatment plant in the next several years.

  LINK: Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board

  LINK: City of Malibu

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  • November 20, 2008 6:33 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• CA Ocean Protection Council makes recommendations for reducing plastic trash

  The state’s Ocean Protection Council is recommending ways California lawmakers could limit plastic trash that ends up in coastal waters. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports.

  Molly Peterson: The council has no legal authority to ban plastic marine debris. But Heal the Bay’s Sarah Abramson says the council’s vote included recommendations for some actions lawmakers could take in the next session.

  Sarah Abramson: Anywhere from placing a fee on single use plastic carryout bags to banning polystyrene food containers. They also encouraged extended producer responsibility and continuing to fund programs like adopt a beach and beach cleanup.

  Peterson: Container manufacturers and some workers showed up and brought letters to oppose the vote. They argued that outright bans on plastic and disposable containers wouldn’t decrease trash and would threaten jobs.

  LINK: California Ocean Protection Council

  LINK: Heal the Bay

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  • November 20, 2008 6:25 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA City Administrative Officee suggests deficit-cutting ideas

  The city of Los Angeles is $110 million in the red. But a new report outlines ways to squeeze down that deficit. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario has more on today’s findings.

  Patricia Nazario: The credit crisis, the real estate slump, and slow auto sales indicate that L.A.’s financial troubles haven’t bottomed out yet. Before things get too bad, the City Administrative Office came up with a few cost-cutting recommendations: L.A. could delay buying about 120 new police patrol cars, trim fewer trees, and install fewer left-turn arrows at intersections.

  The report also suggests that L.A. place a temporary moratorium on money transfers, fee waivers, and hiring. City officials blame the projected deficit on a dip in sales, business, and parking taxes. They also overspent the city’s $7 billion budget by $45 million. If the city acts on all the cost-cutting recommendations, it could cut its $110 million deficit in half.

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  • November 20, 2008 5:10 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• US Representative Eshoo comments on Waxman taking over Energy Committee

  L.A. Congressman Henry Waxman ousted Michigan Congressman John Dingell today as chairman of the House Energy Committee. Waxman promises to take a more aggressive stance on such issues as climate change.

  Palo Alto Congresswoman Anna Eshoo sits on the committee. She feels Waxman will also push for tougher mileage standards, something Dingell resisted.

  Anna Eshoo: “We have sadly, now today, an American automobile industry that is no longer shining, and I’ve always thought that John Dingell held the pen while the American automobile industry signed their own death certificate.”

  Congresswoman Eshoo spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” House Democrats voted 137 to 122 to turn control of the powerful Energy Committee over to Waxman.

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  • November 20, 2008 5:07 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Lieutenant governor says California is not investing enough in education

  The Cal State University system announced policy changes today that will reduce the number of students admitted to CSU schools next year by up to 10,000. Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi is a member of the CSU Board of Trustees. He says it’s a shame that the state is spending less on its students than in the past.

  John Garamendi: “We’re just making a decision and have made a decision for 20 years now to not invest in education. Give you an example. In 1990, the University of California had $15,000 per student from the state general fund. This year, 2008-9, it’s $9,580 per student.”

  Garamendi spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” He says he’s disappointed with the decision to accept fewer students to CSU schools, but given the state’s budget mess, he doesn’t see any alternatives.

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  • November 20, 2008 5:04 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Ocean Protection Council recommends tougher laws against plastic waste

  California’s Ocean Protection Council is recommending that the state develop tougher laws to limit plastic waste. Six-pack holders, grocery bags, and other plastic can end up in coastal waters. The council has no authority to enact limits on plastic marine debris. But Heal the Bay’s Sarah Abramson says its vote carries sway with the lawmakers who do.

  Sarah Abramson: “So I think some of these very clear recommendations that have been laid out in the plan such as placing a fee on single use plastic bags, potentially banning polystyrene, various ways to get at producer responsibility, these are all very good outlines for legislation in the next legislative session.”

  The Ocean Protection Council continues meeting in San Pedro through tomorrow.

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  • November 20, 2008 4:56 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• LA Regional Water Quality Control Board takes control of Malibu septic tanks

  The Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board has voted to take control of all commercial septic tanks in Malibu.

  Board chair Fran Diamond says regulators are concerned that septic tanks are leaking bacteria into Malibu Lagoon and into the water table. Diamond says the board wants to protect water quality.

  Fran Diamond: And we’ve asked and directed our staff that they come back within 12 months for a plan, with teeth, negotiated between the city and the regional board for when they would be ready to break ground on a wastewater treatment plant, within the next two to three years at most.”

  Malibu city leaders argued that animal droppings and stormwater runoff could elevate bacteria levels in Malibu lagoon and at Surfrider beach. The city has also said it’s concerned a sewer system could encourage too much development.

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  • November 20, 2008 4:21 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Metrolink train collides with freight train; no serious injuries

  A Metrolink train collided with a freight train in Rialto earlier this afternoon. Fifteen passengers were aboard the eastbound commuter train. There were no serious injuries.

  Rialto police lieutenant Joe Cirillo says a Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train was moving onto a side track when it clipped the oncoming Metrolink.

  Joe Cirillo: “They sideswiped each other in passing. The injuries; again, we had five people on the Metrolink train complain of pain and they were transported to hospital and are receiving treatment.

  “We’re waiting now for those representatives from the NTSB to get here, and they will further investigate it. And unfortunately, it’s going to hold up any further Metrolink transportation.”

  The trains are still upright. They did sustain some damage. The National Transportation Safety Board will try to determine what caused the crash.

  Until the tracks are cleared in Rialto, Metrolink passengers riding from Union Station on the San Bernardino Line will have to get off at the Rancho Cucamonga Station. From there, passengers can take buses to the train stations in Fontana, Rialto, and San Bernardino.

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  • November 20, 2008 4:19 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Carona corruption trial continues, jury struggles to pay attention

  Another day, another long session on the stand in Santa Ana for former Orange County assistant sheriff Don Haidl. He’s the prosecution’s star witness in the federal corruption trial of former sheriff Mike Carona.

  Defense attorneys are playing back portions taken from secret recordings of three meetings Haidl had a year ago with Carona. Investigators wired Haidl in an effort to catch Carona talking about alleged illegal money schemes. KPCC’s Susan Valot says much of what’s recorded has nothing to do with that. She says the jury is struggling to pay attention.

  Susan Valot: “There are some people who are kind of rocking in their chairs, and then there are others who… I mean, at points it looks like some of them have their eyes closed.

  “And I don’t think they’re sleeping, but they’re just kind of sitting back and closing their eyes and listening. But it can wear out a jury to play back stuff over and over again, and it’s stuff that they’ve already heard before.”

  The judge is now asking attorneys whether the trial will drag on into January.

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  • November 20, 2008 3:17 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Treasury secretary expresses doubts auto industry will hold on

  On Capitol Hill, Congress refused again today to come up with a loan package for the ailing U.S. automobile industry. In Simi Valley, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told an audience at the Reagan Library that Ford, General Motors and Chrysler need to do some repair work on their own first.

  Henry Paulson: “This is an important industry. Manufacturing is important to this country. The auto industry is important to this country. No one thinks failure of a company would be a good thing right now. That’s something to be avoided. But it doesn’t do any good to put money in if there’s no clear path to viability.” (applause)

  As for another economic sector, Secretary Paulson said the key to helping the housing industry is to keep money flowing so homebuilders and homeowners can borrow.

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  • November 20, 2008 2:08 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Representative Capps comments on Waxman becoming House Energy and Commerce Committee chair

  California’s congressional clout grew today. The new chair of the influential U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee is West Los Angeles-area Representative Henry Waxman. One of his fellow Californians on that committee, Representative Lois Capps, explained why she thinks Waxman is a good fit for the chairmanship.

  Lois Capps: “He’s been involved in health care, improving safety in our nursing homes, expanding coverage for poor families – particularly families of working poor. Then you move to energy and you see his efforts on behalf of fuel efficiency standards and promoting alternative and renewable fuels.”

  Capps spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

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  • November 20, 2008 2:03 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Treasury Secretary Paulson answers questions about the economy at Reagan Library

  U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson got out of Washington today – but he couldn’t escape questions about the economy.

  Speaking at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Paulson said the U.S. should work with other countries to “protect economic and social stability” - but stay away from protectionist trade policies. He said in an increasingly interconnected global economy, we’re all in the same boat.

  Henry Paulson: “We must work together to first plug the leak, bail, and row together to reach the shore. Then we must work as a team to overhaul and refit the boat so we can handle the rough seas that will undoubtedly test us in the future.”

  The audience asked Paulson why he changed his mind about buying so-called “toxic mortgages.” He said housing was at the root of the current economic crisis – but the problems are broader now. Paulson said the most important thing the federal government can do to help housing is to keep lending going.

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  • November 20, 2008 2:00 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Cal State system to turn away thousands of qualified applicants due to budget cuts

  For the first time in its history, the California State University system will have to turn away thousands of qualified applicants. Chancellor Charles Reed says the state began cutting the system’s budget before the academic year began, and the cuts haven’t stopped.

  Charles Reed: “This year we started off with a budget that was $215 millon short and we took a little over 10,000 students that were not funded. And then in the last month we’ve been notified to cut another hundred-million dollars out of our budget.”

  Reed told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that it’s hard to cap enrollment, but…

  Reed: “… quality is what we have to protect. I mean quality is all we have, and I want to make sure that the 90-plus-thousand students that we graduate are students of quality that enter California’s workforce.”

  The 23 Cal State campuses will admit about 10,000 fewer students this year because of the budget squeeze, Reed said.

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  • November 20, 2008 1:44 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Metrolink train collides with freight train; only minor injuries

  A Metrolink train and a freight train have collided in San Bernardino County. The collision happened around noon in Rialto. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas says it doesn’t look as if anyone’s hurt.

  Steven Cuevas: A Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train was pulling onto a side track when the Metrolink train apparently hit it. About 15 people were aboard the commuter train. A Rialto police spokesman says about half a dozen people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

  The trains are still upright but the Metrolink sustained damage to its front car. The crash occurred about half-mile west of the Rialto Metrolink station. The freight train was carrying mixed cargo, but it didn’t spill any hazardous materials. It’s not clear whether the crash will affect this evening’s commute.

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  • November 20, 2008 1:41 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Treasury Secretary Paulson speaks at Reagan Library

  Washington’s top money man came to Simi Valley today to talk about what went wrong with the economy – and what should be done to fix it. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: Nearly a thousand people packed the Reagan Library to hear Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson give a short history of how we got here and what the federal government is doing to stabilize the financial markets. But it took a question from the audience to address what the audience wanted to know most of all.

  Audience member: Mr. Secretary, when do you expect our economy to finally hit bottom so that we can begin the process of recovery? (laughs)

  Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson: I appreciate the straight blunt talk, and I tend to be blunt, but Treasury secretaries can’t be that blunt.

  Felde: Paulson said there’s the stability of the financial system. And then there’s the economy. He says his focus is on getting money flowing again in the financial system. He says when banks are lending and the credit markets are working, we have a stronger economy.

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  • November 20, 2008 1:35 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• California Office of Patient Advocate releases annual report card

  The state’s largest health maintenance organizations earned mixed marks when California health care officials unveiled their annual report card today.

  The good news is that five of California’s nine health plans improved in their achievement of national standards over last year. But patient advocate director Sandra Perez says patient satisfaction is still too low.

  Sandra Perez: “We’re concerned that if patients aren’t satisfied with their health care, they won’t seek or comply with the medical care that they need. This is especially true in today’s economy.”

  Kaiser Permanente in Northern and Southern California met national standards of care and received four stars - the highest possible ranking.

  That’s the first time a health plan has earned marks like that since the state office began tracking HMO’s eight years ago.

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  • November 20, 2008 1:30 PM

• Waxman wins powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee chairmanship

  Southland Congressman Henry Waxman today won the chairmanship of the powerful U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee. Coral Davenport, a reporter for CQPolitics.com, told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that Waxman capitalized on President-elect Barack Obama’s victory and began talking with members of his caucus the day after the presidential election.

  Coral Davenport: “He portrayed himself as an agent of change on this issue within Congress, and I think that really resonated for a lot of members. And it especially resonated with younger members, with junior, with freshman members.”

  Waxman’s congressional district includes parts of West Los Angeles and Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Malibu. He had chaired the House government reform and oversight committee.

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  • November 20, 2008 1:23 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• LA Congressman Waxman becomes new chair of House Energy and Commerce Committee

  A local politician has scored a big win on Capitol Hill that could mean cleaner air and tougher rules about greenhouse gas emissions here in California. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: It’s the equivalent of a palace coup in the halls of Congress. The committee that oversees greenhouse gas and automobile emissions has a new leader. Los Angeles Democrat Henry Waxman has ousted the longtime chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Democrat John Dingle of Michigan.

  Dingle has been the Democratic head of the powerful committee for nearly 30 years and has been a fierce defender of the automobile industry in his home state. That put him toe to toe with Waxman, who, with other Californians, has been pushing for tougher environmental regulation of cars and other sources of smog and greenhouse gases.

  The head of one environmental group said “Waxman is more in sync with the Obama change approach” to tackle global warming. Waxman will have to leave his other job, chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

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  • November 20, 2008 10:13 AM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Actors union and producers return to negotiating table

  The Screen Actors Guild and the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers are returning to the negotiating table tomorrow. KPCC’s Brian Watt says they’re talking for the first time in four months.

  Brian Watt: The issues holding up a deal haven’t changed. SAG wants to represent actors for all productions destined only for the Internet and to protect its members during work stoppages.

  The producers alliance says the final contract offer it made to SAG four months ago was as good as deals already ratified by the Directors and Writers Guilds, and the other actors union, AFTRA.

  The players on either side haven’t changed much, either. Doug Allen is SAG’s chief negotiator and Nick Counter represents the producers. But now there’s a man in the middle.

  Federal mediator Juan Carlos Gonzales has been meeting separately with both sides since last month. Now, he’s bringing them together for what some observers believe is just a formality.

  If SAG’s negotiating committee decides that mediation isn’t working, it can ask the Guild’s rank-and-file members to authorize a strike. That voting process would take at least a month.

  Note: The producers alliance just added another contract agreement to its collection: It’s reached a tentative three-year deal with the union representing stagecraft workers, film and television technicians and artists.

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  • November 19, 2008 6:30 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• San Bernardino approves controversial hilltop housing development

  It has one of the most crushing home foreclosure problems in the country. But that hasn’t stopped San Bernardino from approving a giant new housing development. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas says the 400-acre project will be nestled in the hills above Cal State San Bernardino.

  Steven Cuevas: The project was “green-lighted” after three years of negotiations. The development will include nearly a thousand luxury homes, townhouses, and even a few parks.

  It’ll all be built in the foothills right above campus… right in the path of wildfires and mudslides, say the project’s opponents.

  “Not to worry,” says the Newport Beach developer: the homes will be constructed with so-called “irrigation zones” designed to slow advancing flames.

  In exchange, Cal State San Bernardino will get some faculty housing, and a couple hundred acres of land. It’ll turn that space into a nature preserve for biology and geology research.

  The idea just doesn’t fly with hang gliders, though. They worry the development will obstruct a popular flight path and landing zone created more than 10 years ago.

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  • November 19, 2008 6:25 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Sports/Recreation

• Treasury spokeswoman defends bailout plan

  KPCC’s Patt Morrison spoke with a spokeswoman for the U.S. Treasury Department today about the federal bailout of the financial industry. Jennifer Zuccarelli says the federal government is looking out for the taxpayers.

  Jennifer Zuccarelli: “The purpose of this program was to strengthen our financial institutions so they would feel more confident and be able to go out and lend this money. There’s going to be a cost to them if they don’t go out and lend the money. They have to pay us dividends; they have to pay us sort of an interest rate on the money that we’ve given them. So it will come at a price to them if they don’t get out there and lend this money.”

  That’s Treasury Department spokeswoman Jennifer Zuccarelli, talking with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

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  • November 19, 2008 6:22 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA County local assistance centers aid fire victims

  A local assistance center for victims of this week’s Sayre fire is opening Thursday in Sylmar. Details from KPCC’s Cheryl Devall.

  Cheryl Devall: Federal, state, and local agencies will offer help with licenses and permits, housing and health concerns, tax questions, and unemployment benefits. The idea is to provide a one-stop resource center for fire victims.

  Information about services will be available at the Sylmar Recreation Center starting at 9 in the morning through the weekend and into next week. The assistance center will be closed on Thanksgiving and the day after.

  A similar facility has already opened at the East Anaheim Gymnasium to assist victims of the Freeway Complex fire. State and federal disaster declarations in response to this week’s wildfires in five Southland counties have made emergency money available to meet a variety of needs.

  Details on Local Assistance Centers

  Sylmar
  The Sylmar Recreation Center
  13109 Borden Avenue
  Opens Thursday 11/20 at 9 a.m.
  The daily hours of operation: Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

  Anaheim
  East Anaheim Gymnasium
  8165 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road
  Daily hours are 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

  Santa Barbara
  Davis Center
  1232 De La Vina Street
  Daily hours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

  LINK: Press Release on Assistance Centers

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  • November 19, 2008 6:20 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• US Representative Sherman hesitant to bail out Detroit automakers

  A lot of lawmakers gave the heads of Detroit’s Big Three carmakers a hard time during their testimony on Capitol Hill. One of them was Los Angeles Congressman Brad Sherman. He spoke during today’s hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.

  Brad Sherman: “The number one reason not to bail them out is, are they going to need a bridge, to another bridge, to another bridge, to another bridge, to a bridge to nowhere? Do they have a plan that’s going to make them sustainable next decade?”

  The automakers are asking for a $25 billion bailout. Congress and the Bush administration are at odds over how to do it.

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  • November 19, 2008 5:02 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Orange County sheriff corruption trial continues with more testimony from assistant sheriff Haidl

  Former Orange County assistant sheriff Don Haidl spent another day on the witness stand today in Santa Ana. He’s testifying for the prosecution in the federal corruption trial of ex-sheriff Mike Carona.

  The case hinges on secret recordings of three meetings last year between Carona and Haidl. Prosecutors say the two men talk about bribes. Carona’s attorneys say it’s not that clear cut.

  They’re picking away at differences between transcripts of the recordings and Haidl’s testimony. KPCC’s Susan Valot says sometimes Haidl isn’t sure the transcripts are accurate.

  Susan Valot: “He was looking at one of the transcripts and said, ‘This looks out of whack. I’m not quite sure that that’s what I said.’ And as you well know, the tapes themselves are very difficult to listen to, and you almost need those transcripts to understand what is being said.”

  Susan Valot says the trial has slowed to a crawl.

  Valot: “At one point this afternoon, the judge said something – once the jury had left – to one of the defense attorneys, saying, ‘Y’know, this is going a lot slower than you said it was.’”

  It won’t end anytime soon. Haidl still faces more cross-examination by the attorney for Carona’s codefendant – and ex-mistress – Debra Hoffman.

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  • November 19, 2008 4:56 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Representative Sherman criticizes Detroit Big Three CEO's for flying to DC on private jets

  During their appearance on Capitol Hill today, the CEO’s of Detroit’s Big Three carmakers were put on the spot by L.A. Congressman Brad Sherman. He asked them to raise their hands if they had flown to Washington on commercial airlines – none of them had. Sherman said their use of private jets made it that much harder to justify giving them a $25 billion bailout.

  Brad Sherman: “These guys are simply out of touch. You can’t come to the voters of a country where the average income for a household is 45- to 50-thousand dollars and say ‘I just got here on my private jet to beg for your money.’”

  The CEO’s were testifying before the House Financial Services Committee. The fate of any congressional bailout for Detroit is uncertain.

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  • November 19, 2008 4:53 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Cal State trustees discuss plans to cap enrollment due to budget cuts

  At their meeting in Long Beach today Cal State trustees discussed a plan to cap enrollment by 10,000 students next year at the 23-campus public university system.

  Administrators recommend the unprecedented move to brace for the hefty budget cuts they expect in the coming months and the next academic year. After the meeting, Cal State Chancellor Charles Reed said he heard a clear message from trustees.

  Charles Reed: “I think the trustees, first of all, gave me a green light that essentially we don’t have any other choice. Number two, you know the trustees, first of all, set as a top priority how sensitive and how much attention that we’re going to need to pay to diversity.”

  Some trustees voiced concern about the plan’s effect on black, Latino, and working class applicants. The proposal would direct the university admissions office to grant priority to qualified applicants who live near a given campus. Other prospective students can remain on wait lists; they’ll gain entry based on grades and test scores.

  Several trustees said Cal State should respond to lean economic times by promoting online classes. Cal State’s faculty union said it’s concerned about ramping up those course offerings.

  Note: University of California officials said today they’re also considering enrollment caps at their 10 campus system.

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  • November 19, 2008 4:38 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Slumping economy worsens MOCA's financial health

  Trustees of L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art convened a closed-door meeting today. They’re addressing an emergency. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez says the slumping economy has hit the museum hard, and cash to keep its doors open is running out fast.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Independent auditors told Museum of Contemporary Art officials earlier this year something they already knew – that the museum was having a tough time coming up with the money to stay open. Auditors warned that MOCA couldn’t continue dipping into restricted funds to pay operating expenses without replenishing the pot of money.

  Museum director Jeremy Strick declined an interview. He told the Los Angeles Times the nearly 30-year-old museum has cut some expenses and is scrambling for large donations. Strick added that a takeover – with conditions – by a larger, healthier arts organization isn’t out of the question. The financial hit to MOCA’s endowment is unclear. The Times reports that about a year ago that endowment had dropped $16 million in seven years.

  The money may be in eclipse, but the art remains a supernova. The museum holds prime works by Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. Area artists still refer to Helter Skelter, a show of L.A. art 15 years ago, as a watershed. MOCA’s thematic shows also garner international acclaim.

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  • November 19, 2008 3:47 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• World Wildlife Fund's Roberts comments on agreement on deforestation emissions

  Governors and regional leaders from all over the world are wrapping up a climate summit in Beverly Hills. California and other states have agreed to work on rules for counting carbon dioxide emissions related to deforestation.

  The World Wildlife Fund’s Carter Roberts said the agreement represents progress.

  Carter Roberts: “Brazil and Indonesia – if forests are included – rank in the top five emitters. If we don’t find a way for forests to be included in an international agreement, then we’re going to fail to reach the overall goals we set.”

  This afternoon, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, other governors, and regional leaders from a dozen countries are signing another agreement, about ways to approach international negotiations on global warming issues.

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  • November 19, 2008 3:22 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• California Supreme Court to hear challenges to Prop 8

  It’s been just over two weeks since California voters approved Proposition 8, an amendment to the state constitution that bans same-sex marriage. Today the state’s highest court agreed to hear challenges to the measure. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: The California Supreme Court agreed to hear challenges to Prop 8. But the justices declined to stop enforcement of the measure until they hear the challenges and rule on them. That means marriages between same-sex couples are not allowed in California.

  The state high court asked lawyers challenging the measure to address three issues: is it invalid because it revises rather than amends the state constitution? Does it violate the separation of powers doctrine? And what effect does Prop 8 have on same-sex couples who tied the knot before Election Day? The court could hear oral arguments on the measure as early as this March.

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  • November 19, 2008 2:30 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Police recover bronze religious statue stolen from a church

  A religious statue that had vanished from an Orange County church re-appeared, just as mysteriously, in the yard of a Newport Beach woman. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says police returned the statue to the church today.

  Cheryl Devall: Newport Beach police believe someone swiped the 5-foot statue of Mary, the mother of Jesus, from Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic parish. The bronze statue went missing Saturday from its pedestal outside the church.

  The key word here is bronze. It’s a combination of copper and other metals, and anything made of it – from commemorative plaques to public art – has become a popular target for thieves because of its value as scrap metal.

  The woman who discovered the runaway church statue in her yard called police after she saw a photo of it in a newspaper. She suspects that her teenage son and his friends may have had something to do with its removal.

  The Roman Catholic diocese of Orange is regarding the incident as a prank, and a spokesman said church officials are in a forgiving mood. They don’t plan to press charges. Police said the statue by Mexican sculptor Victor Salmones is worth about $30,000.

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  • November 19, 2008 2:19 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Religion/Spirituality

• IndyMac Federal Bank unveils anti-foreclosure plan

  IndyMac Federal Bank is offering to make home loans more affordable for borrowers who are at least two months behind in their payments.

  The bank’s acting chief executive John Bovenzi says IndyMac will probably reduce interest rates or extend the terms on home loans.

  John Bovenzi: “By modifying loans to create long-term affordable payment plans for borrowers, we hope to minimize the number of foreclosures and keep homeowners in their homes.”

  Bovenzi says more than 40,000 IndyMac mortgage loans are headed toward foreclosure.

  The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation took over the Southland-based bank after it failed earlier this year.

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  • November 19, 2008 1:58 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Cal State trustees discuss plans to cut enrollment

  Cal State University trustees spoke out today [WED] on a plan to cap enrollment at the 23-campus system. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reports from the trustees’ meeting in Long Beach.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Under the plan, the system would limit admission to qualified students who live near each campus. Higher grades and test scores would open the door to others. Cal State’s expecting a $66 million cut to its current-year budget, with more cuts likely next year. Trustee Jeffrey Bleich told colleagues he didn’t like the choices before him.

  Jeffrey Bleich: It makes me sad and actually physically sick to think about turning away 10,000 students from our system. But that’s the situation that we’re in.

  The one bright spot that I’ve heard in this entire discussion has been the focus on not simply getting California to invest in education again but for us to think about how we can innovate in the interim.

  Guzman-Lopez: Some trustees want Cal State to provide more online education opportunities.

  Cal State Trustee Jack O’Connell, who’s also the state’s superintendent of schools, recommended that Cal State Chancellor Charles Reed hold off on the enrollment cap for a year, as O’Connell and others lobby Sacramento for more money. Reed has signaled that he’ll move forward with the enrollment cap in the next few days.

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  • November 19, 2008 1:53 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Climate Group CEO says we need to reduce greenhouse gas pollition by two-thirds

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s presiding over the final day of an international climate summit in Beverly Hills. The meeting has assembled leaders from a dozen countries and several states to think about ways to tackle climate change. One of the speakers on the agenda is Steve Howard, CEO and cofounder of The Climate Group, an international nonprofit based in London.

  Steve Howard: “We need to reduce the amount of pollution going that’s going out by greenhouse gases by at least two-third. So that means pretty much all growth, it’s got to be clean growth. It’s all about clean power and highly efficient products and electric vehicles. So that’s the future.”

  Howard told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that everyone – especially leaders – must work together to foster a cleaner, greener planet in the next quarter century.

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  • November 19, 2008 1:46 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• CAL FIRE chief says firefighters are doing well

  The Sayre Fire and the Freeway Complex Fire forced hundreds of firefighters to work long stretches without a break. CAL FIRE Chief Ruben Grijalva says his crews have held up well.

  Chief Ruben Grijalva: “The forces are doing well; you know, California has the best mutual aid system then anywhere in the world. So you know, Cal Fire, working together with local and federal government, we put out a lot of resources on the ground and we do have opportunity to rehabilitate and rest our firefighters in between fires.”

  Grijalva spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

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  • November 18, 2008 5:51 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• HD Palmer says state needs to set aside more money to fight wildfires

  Fighting wildfires in California is expensive - since the beginning of July, the state has spent more than $300 million on emergency firefighting. The legislature only set aside $69 million to last through next June. H.D. Palmer is a spokesman for the state finance department.

  H.D. Palmer: “Taking one look at the landscape of devastation that we’re seeing in Montecito and Sylmar, and Yorba Linda, are testament to the fact that we need to put additional resources to be prepared to fight emergencies such as these wildland fires.”

  Palmer told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that finding more money for firefighting is on the governor’s agenda during the current special session of the state legislature.

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  • November 18, 2008 5:43 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Evacuee talks about aftermath of Oakridge Mobile Home Park fire

  A young couple with two small children salvaged slightly-charred pieces of a nativity scene from their home at Sylmar’s Oakridge Mobile Home Park.

  Veronica Salinas says the irony is her husband bought earthquake supplies not long ago, because he’d wanted to be ready for the next disaster.

  Veronica Salinas: “Five, five gallon jugs of water prepared. And he bought sleeping bags and extra food, like canned food, that we could have not only in our garage, but also a kit in each one of our cars. He spent like, he said it was $700, I thought it was more, like two weeks ago. We couldn’t take it with us, so it just got burned.”

  Like most homeowners at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, the Salinas said she and her husband hope to rebuild early next year.

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  • November 18, 2008 4:50 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• California politicians ask Washington DC for disaster aid

  It’s official. President Bush issued a major disaster declaration today for five southern California counties hit by wildfire. The declaration clears the way for federal dollars. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: The declaration arrived one day after Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made an official request for the disaster declaration - and on the same day that California’s two U.S. Senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, sent a similar letter to President Bush.

  Thirty-nine of California’s 53 congressional representatives also signed that letter. The federal declaration means California homeowners, renters, businesses, even nonprofit organizations can apply for low-interest loans to help repair or replace homes, equipment, and personal property.

  It also provides federal dollars to help with debris removal and firefighting costs. This isn’t the first time California has requested federal emergency assistance this year. Governor Schwarzenegger made a similar request in August after wildfires earlier in the year.

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  • November 18, 2008 4:42 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• People who held undocumented immigrants for ransom convicted and sentenced

  Three smugglers from the Inland Empire will serve time in federal prison for hatching an immigrant ransom scheme. The trio was caught last year holding several illegal immigrants hostage inside a small house in Riverside. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas has the story.

  Steven Cuevas: No one could escape the house because the windows and doors were padlocked from the outside. The smugglers ordered the eight illegal immigrants held inside to phone relatives in Mexico and ask for money – from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

  When the smugglers got the money, their hostages could go free. Authorities broke up the scheme before that could happen. But the traffickers denied food to at least one woman and two children because their relatives could not promise to pay up.

  Authorities say the ringleader was Catalina Ramirez, an illegal immigrant from Mexico. A judge sentenced her to five years in federal prison. She also faces deportation. Two other people involved in the scheme will also spend time behind bars.

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  • November 18, 2008 4:39 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• LA County Supervisor Antonovich asks for review of what happened at Olive View Medical Center during Sayre Fire

  L.A. County’s Board of Supervisors has asked for a review of what happened at the UCLA-Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar during the Sayre Fire. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze has more.

  Frank Stoltze: Olive View’s main hospital survived the fire. But 37 support buildings there – including a child care facility – burned. Tony Bell is a spokesman for Supervisor Mike Antonovich.

  Tony Bell: Also, we lost power for roughly three hours, because the emergency generator system blew out somehow, which is very, very disconcerting, because this system is supposed to be checked on a regular basis. So we want to find out what happened there and fix that so it doesn’t happen in an emergency situation again.

  Stoltze: Bell said the supervisors have asked their staff to draft a plan for rebuilding the destroyed structures.

  Bell: Sure, municipalities are taking a hit because of economic conditions. Los Angeles County, however, is in better shape than most municipalities because of good long-term planning and saving for a rainy day, if you will. Well, here’s a rainy day.

  The Sayre Fire burned 11,00 acres and destroyed more than 500 homes.

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  • November 18, 2008 4:14 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Obama tells global climate summit that he plans to seek international agreements on greenhouse gas reduction

  A bigger star than Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed a global climate summit in Beverly Hills today. In a video message, President-elect Barack Obama told attendees that when he takes office, the United States will seek international agreements on greenhouse gas reduction.

  Barack Obama: “Now is the time to confront this challenge once and for all. Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response. The stakes are too high, the consequences too serious.”

  California’s governor, and several hundred delegates from a dozen countries, greeted the message with lengthy applause. California, Illinois, and Wisconsin are among the states that will sign an agreement with regions in Brazil and Indonesia to seek cooperation on forest conservation. Twenty percent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from deforestation.

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  • November 18, 2008 4:09 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Cal State system weighs student enrollment limits

  California State University administrators will hear a plan tomorrow to deny admission to about 10,000 qualified students next year. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reports that the plan’s a response to likely state budget cuts.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Cal State officials say more students than ever want to – and are qualified to – enroll at its 23 campuses. But state money to accommodate those students has remained frozen the last couple of years.

  State lawmakers may approve mid-year cuts, and next year’s funding for the system doesn’t look good. So instead of getting rid of courses or increasing class sizes, Cal State’s considering enrollment limits that would shut out about 10,000 students across the system.

  Cal State’s already shortened by several months the application deadline for popular campuses, including those in Long Beach and Fullerton. Chancellor Charles Reed is considering a plan to grant admission priority to students who live near each campus. That proposal would admit others based on higher grades and test scores than the system requires now.

  In the last seven years, Cal State’s raised student fees six times. Chancellor Reed hasn’t said whether he favors another increase.

  Note: Reed may decide by Thursday whether to enact the enrollment limits.

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  • November 18, 2008 3:57 PM
  • Categories: Education

• California opens local assistance center in Anaheim to help Freeway Complex Fire victims

  The fires have prompted Governor Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties today. The state’s also opening a local assistance center in Anaheim to help victims of the Freeway Complex Fire that burned over 28,000 acres in Corona, Yorba Linda, Brea, and Anaheim. Ruth Ruiz with the city of Anaheim says anyone from the surrounding area with fire-related problems can come to the one-stop Local Assistance Center for help.

  Ruth Ruiz: “Those who need information on specific insurance service, those folks are here to help today. Even companies and nonprofit organizations are here to help clothe people who may have lost all their clothing in the fires. So we have just a lot of great organizations helping those who need the assistance right now.”

  Those organizations include the American Red Cross, the Department of Motor Vehicles, and insurance companies.

  The Local Assistance Center is located at the East Anaheim Gymnasium on East Santa Ana Canyon Road in Anaheim. For at least the next seven days, it’ll be open from 7 in the morning until 8 at night.

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  • November 18, 2008 3:54 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• LA fire captain talks about last-minute decision to pull crews from Oakridge Mobile Home Park fire

  As people returned to their homes inside Sylmar’s Oakridge Mobile Park Home today, many stepped over melted fire hoses in the street.

  While the fire was active, the incident commander made a last-minute decision to pull crews out. Los Angeles Fire Captain Steven Ruda said the flames were spreading too fast.

  Steven Ruda: “… and when I see these hoses in the street, it gives me an indication that maybe my brothers and sisters on the job, they waited ‘til the very last minute to escape. It’s amazing to me, no injuries to firefighters and no deaths.”

  There’s only one way in and out of that foothill neighborhood. Captain Ruda said a canopy of flames hovered over the streets during the Sayre Fire.

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  • November 18, 2008 3:41 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• LA City Councilman Weiss contributes $250,000 to help clear LAPD rape kit backlog

  Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss contributed a quarter-million dollars today to the LAPD’s effort to clear a backlog of DNA evidence in 7,000 rape cases. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze has the story.

  Frank Stoltze: Weiss says the money’s coming from his own discretionary account. He acknowledges the $250,000 is a fraction of what the police department needs to clear its backlog of DNA evidence.

  Jack Weiss: Our plan is a little over $2 million a year for outsourcing so you end up with about $7 million needed to outsource 7,000 kits.

  Stoltze: He says that the city will spend about that much this year, and that the mayor and police chief have committed to spending the same amount next year - despite a projected budget deficit. Weiss says criminals are free because technicians haven’t been able to examine some DNA evidence.

  Weiss: I believe that there are hundreds upon hundreds of rapists out there who have not been apprehended because these kits have not been tested.

  Stoltze: Human Rights Watch has sharply criticized the city for moving too slowly to address the problem.

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  • November 18, 2008 2:05 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA City Councilman Weiss gives money to help clear LAPD rape kit backlog

  Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss today contributed $250,000 from his discretionary fund to clear up the city’s backlog of DNA evidence in rape cases. Weiss says L.A. needs to spend $7 million to examine DNA evidence in 7,000 cases at the LAPD crime lab.

  Jack Weiss: “I was in one of those freezers on Friday with the LAPD detectives who are busy cataloging each item of evidence in there, and it is literally and figuratively chilling to see row upon row of evidence envelope – each with the name of a victim and an unknown assailant.”

  Weiss and LAPD officials have blamed a lack of resources for the backlog. Human Rights Watch has sharply criticized the city for moving too slowly to address the problem.

  The organization suggested that rapists are on the loose because of the city’s inaction. The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department has reported a similar problem with evidence in rape cases.

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  • November 18, 2008 2:02 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• San Bernardino County sets goals for ending chronic homelessness

  Social service providers in San Bernardino County have set ambitious goals for actions they hope can end chronic homelessness in the region. KPCC’s Inland Empire reporter Steven Cuevas has the story.

  Steven Cuevas: Agency officials unveiled their 10-year strategy at the county’s second annual Homeless Summit. The plan aims to find permanent housing for the county’s roughly 7,000 chronically homeless adults.

  Younger homeless people aren’t faring much better. San Bernardino County’s superintendent of schools says almost 13,000 students are either homeless or close to it.

  The new strategy relies a lot on the kind of prevention the home mortgage crisis has pushed into the headlines: promoting landlord-tenant mediation, helping people with bad credit, and creating better access to affordable health care.

  Social service providers say they also need to do a better job identifying homeless people, assessing their needs, and finding the help they need. San Bernardino and Riverside Counties are gearing up for an aggressive homeless survey in January aimed at doing just that.

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  • November 18, 2008 1:46 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Health

• Governor Schwarzenegger holds 2-day global climate summit; Obama appears via video

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is hosting a two-day global climate summit at the Beverly Hilton. This morning he reminded hundreds of delegates from more than a dozen countries about the state’s landmark global warming legislation.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Let me tell you, when I signed the nation’s first law to cap greenhouse gas emissions, California was leading a revolution, but without any soldiers. We were out there alone. And there was no other state in the United States that was doing anything similar to that.”

  A pre-recorded video address to the conference by President-elect Barack Obama prompted sustained applause. Obama said he would work vigorously to forge international agreements on climate change.

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  • November 18, 2008 1:39 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Cal State trustees meet to discuss plan to reduce number of students

  Cal State trustees will meet tomorrow to discuss a plan that would reduce the number of students in the system.

  Allison Jones is the university’s assistant vice chancellor. He told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that the 23 Cal State campuses have enrolled 10,000 more students than they’re funded to serve.

  Allison Jones: “In order to ensure that access is real in the sense that the student has access to classes, the class sections and the student support services outside of the classroom, we need to scale back the number of students that we’re serving. Because there are students on campuses who are unable to get the classes that they need and the support that they need outside of the classroom.”

  The proposal under consideration would raise the academic bar for students who want to attend Cal State schools. At present, applicants must maintain a B average to qualify for admission.

  Jones said the state already has cut Cal State’s funding by $31 million for the current budget year, and the governor is proposing additional midyear cuts.

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  • November 18, 2008 1:36 PM
  • Categories: Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Freeway Complex Fire 75 percent contained

  Firefighters hope to fully contain the Freeway Complex Fire by tomorrow. It’s 75 percent contained now. Orange County Fire spokesman Kris Concepcion says nothing’s actively burning, but fire crews still have plenty to keep them busy.

  Kris Concepcion: “What the firefighters are doing is they’re patrolling to make sure there are no embers that will reignite. The weather is in our favor, which is a good thing. And then they’re working to build, make sure they build a cold trail all the way around the fire.”

  Firefighters have about eight miles of line to build.

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  • November 18, 2008 12:09 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Carbon Canyon resident talks about evacuation due to fire

  Authorities lifted evacuation orders yesterday for many areas affected by the Freeway Complex Fire. Jim Tolman had found shelter at the Brea Community Center after officials told him to leave his Carbon Canyon mobile home on Saturday.

  Jim Tolman: “We’ve been here the whole time. We got evacuated out at 8 o’clock on Saturday night. We kinda waited until it was mandatory. We kinda waited until the flames were over the top. Then we knew it was time.

  “They were coming down the hill pretty quick. But we were half packed. It only took us 10 minutes to get up and out. Everyone in the park pretty much left at the same time, so it was no big issues.”

  Tolman, his wife and daughter returned to Hollydale mobile home park last night. They were relieved to find the flames hadn’t touched their home. One of their neighbors wasn’t so lucky. Her mobile home and everything in it had burned.

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  • November 18, 2008 11:40 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• People return to Carbon Canyon area in Brea after wildfires

  After emergency officials lifted mandatory evacuation orders, people who’d fled the Triangle Complex Fire in north Orange County returned to their homes yesterday. Andrea Burns returned to the Hollydale Mobile Home Park in Brea’s Carbon Canyon to find her home intact.

  One home across from hers – the one she said belonged to a 93-year-old lady – was the only one in the complex that burned to the ground. Burns described the house to KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman Lopez.

  Andrea Burns: “This is where her TV was, right where this roof that caved in, that’s where her chair was that she sat every night watching her television. Her lamp was on here every night at this window.”
  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: “You just came back here after being gone for two days, when you pulled up and saw this, what went through your mind. Burns: “I just kept saying to myself, please don’t let it be true, please don’t let it be true, and it was.”

  Burns said that as far as she knows, her neighbor’s fine. She and other neighbors praised firefighters for not letting the flames destroy more homes.

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  • November 18, 2008 11:36 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Yahoo cofounder Yang steps down from CEO position

  The man who cofounded Yahoo is stepping down as chief executive. The decision ends a rocky tenure, as KPCC’s Steve Julian reports.

  Steve Julian: Jerry Yang had been under pressure to step down since refusing earlier this year to sell Yahoo to Microsoft for $47.5 billion – more than triple Yahoo’s current market value. The decision led to a shareholder revolt.

  Billionaire investor Carl Icahn called for Yang’s ouster in July. He reached a truce that put him and two allies on Yahoo’s 11-member board, but he’s remained a proponent of a deal with Microsoft by either selling the company in its entirety or just its search engine.

  Yahoo Search ranks far behind Google’s search engine. Jerry Yang and Stanford classmate David Filo began compiling a directory of their favorite Web links while working on their doctorates. They settled on the acronym for “Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle.”

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  • November 18, 2008 11:27 AM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• California high court asked to hear gay marriage cases

  By LISA LEFF Associated Press Writer

  SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The state attorney general and sponsors of the ballot initiative that banned same-sex marriage in California urged its Supreme Court to hear a series of lawsuits seeking to overturn the ban, saying the matter is too urgent to be unsettled.

  “The petitions raise issues of statewide importance, implicating not only California’s marriage laws but also the initiative process and the Constitution itself,” Attorney General Jerry Brown argued in his filing.

  “This court can provide certainty and finality in this matter,” he said.

  Proposition 8, which passed with 52 percent of the vote earlier this month, overturned the high court’s May decision legalizing gay marriage in California. The measure inserts language into the constitution limiting marriage to one man and one woman.

  Gay and civil rights groups, the city of San Francisco and other plaintiffs have asked the court to void the measure on the grounds that voters did not have the authority to make, what they say, is a fundamental constitutional change.

  There is no deadline for the justices to decide whether they’ll take the cases.

  The litigation has made unwitting allies of supporters of the same-sex marriage ban and the attorney general, who voted against the proposition. Over the summer, anti-gay marriage groups sued Brown after his office changed the measure’s wording to reflect that it would take away a right that same-sex couples then had.

  Brown has since said that in his role as California’s top public lawyer, he will fight to uphold Proposition 8 as an expression of public sentiment on same-sex marriage. The preliminary documents he filed Monday did not address that issue.

  Andrew Pugno, a lawyer for the Yes on 8 campaign, said the measure’s supporters are so confident the Supreme Court would uphold the initiative they want the court to take the cases and resolve the question quickly.

  “There is no question Proposition 8 is exactly the type of amendment the framers of the Constitution envisioned for the people to be able to enact,” Pugno said.

  The Protect Marriage coalition is less confident about Brown’s sincere interest in defending the gay marriage ban in court, according to Pugno. That’s why the coalition asked the court for permission to intervene in the cases Monday.

  “Everyone knows the AG opposed Proposition 8, did everything he could to undermine it and it still passed anyway,” he said.

  “There is little hope he would make much effort at all to defend Prop. 8.”

  Both the attorney general and Protect Marriage asked the court to reject a request from gay marriage supporters for a stay that would allow same-sex couples to resume marrying in California until the broader legal issues are addressed.

  Meanwhile, the interfaith California Council of Churches and the Episcopal bishops of Northern California and Los Angeles added their petition Monday to those asking the high court to invalidate Proposition 8. They argue that if voters are permitted to take away rights from a group based on sexual orientation, the same could happen to religious minorities.

  Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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  • November 17, 2008 6:14 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs, Religion/Spirituality

• 14 year resident of destroyed mobile home park talks about what she lost

  People who lived in Sylmar’s Oakridge Mobile Home Park were able to make brief escorted visits to their homes today. Sharon Parr is one of almost 500 people who lost their homes to the Sayre fire. Outside the park’s gated entrance, she said she’s decided to wait a few days to go back inside.

  Sharon Parr: “I think when I see it, when I go in there and go through the rubble, it’s gonna hit me. I’m in shock now, I think.”

  She reflected on the valuables she was able to get out and the ones she left behind.

  Parr: “My jewelry. I didn’t grab all my jewelry and jewelry cases and stuff and, it’s weird, I had my wedding ring off. I haven’t been wearing my diamond and I just had it on the dresser; I grabbed it. I had an Academy Award at my house. My uncle’s Academy Award. Everybody says when you get out, make sure you get that Oscar, and I got it. I took it.”

  Parr and her husband of 43 years had lived in a two-bedroom home at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park for 14 years.

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  • November 17, 2008 4:48 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Governor Schwarzenegger signs executive order to speed renewable energy implementation

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an executive order today aimed at speeding up California’s embrace of renewable energy. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has the story.

  Molly Peterson: Current law requires California to get 20 percent of its energy from renewables within two years. The state’s investor-owned utilities may not hit that target. Schwarzenegger and other politicians want faster progress, so they’ve sought comments – including from utilities – about ways to achieve the goal.

  This order aims to improve coordination among state agencies like the Energy Commission and the Fish and Game Department while they process permits. It can take 7 to 10 years to power up transmission projects, and new applications have slowed the permitting process. The governor proposes better communication with federal agencies too.

  That could speed construction in areas targeted for solar and wind, like the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Still, renewables face plenty of obstacles – including the sluggish economy. State regulators estimate that boosting the renewable energy goal to 33 percent could cost the state $60 billion over a dozen years.

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  • November 17, 2008 4:41 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Politicians call for tougher mobile home safety standards in wake of Oakridge Mobile Home Park fire

  Governor Schwarzenegger and other politicians are calling for tougher safety standards for mobile homes in the wake of the disaster at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar. Mobile homes have been exempt from some building codes.

  Chris Anderson of the state’s housing department says the codes were upgraded earlier this year. He believes more homes at Oakridge could have been saved if the new codes had been in effect when it was built.

  Chris Anderson: “They would have fire resistant construction to the roof application. The siding materials would also be ignition resistant. The windows are a big portion of it, requiring safety glaze on one of the panes. Then you also have to look at the vents for the attic area, as well as the basement area around the homes.”

  Gus Colgain, president of the California Mobile Home Resource and Action Association, doesn’t think anything could have saved Oakridge.

  Gus Colgain: “We are looking at a catastrophe – a fire that went so fast that it was uncontainable. And those homes are going to go up no matter what.”

  The new building codes only apply to mobile homes in high fire-risk areas.

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  • November 17, 2008 4:27 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Resident of destroyed mobile home park talks about what's lost

  The Sayre Fire destroyed almost 500 units in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park. Sharon Parr had lived in one since just after the Northridge Earthquake 14 years ago.

  She and her husband had paid just $20,000 for the two-bedroom home back then, but recently they’d installed an $8,000 air conditioning system. Outside the mobile home park, Parr said the place was perfect for her and her husband of 43 years.

  Sharon Parr: “We weren’t facing any mobiles. We had the – the eucalyptus trees across the street, and so it was nice. And it was like being in the country. My granddaughter’s devastated because she loved that place. Loved to come down and go in the pool and stuff. But we just haven’t had any rain and that’s not helping here. Getting all these fires. So I don’t think I’m going to rebuild here.”

  Parr said that before they evacuated, she and her husband packed as many important papers and valuables as possible. They include an Oscar statuette her uncle won for film editing.

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  • November 17, 2008 4:21 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• City councilman says next battle should be for civil marriage

  California Attorney General Jerry Brown is urging the state’s high court to immediately take up the legality of Proposition 8. That’s the voter-approved constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in California.

  Usually, legal challenges make their way up through the lower courts, but Brown notes “the profound importance of the issues” and “significant public interest” as reasons the state Supreme Court should rule sooner than later.

  Meanwhile, one local city councilman suggests another way to regard the issue: change government’s approach to granting marriage licenses. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: In France, if you want to get married, you need a civil license. If you want a church wedding, you can have it after a civil ceremony at city hall. L.A. City Councilman Bill Rosendahl thinks California should adopt a similar system – for gay and straight couples.

  Bill Rosendahl: We should separate the church from the state. Everyone who has a committed relationship should get a civil marriage certificate. And if they want to consecrate it or not, that’s their business.

  Felde: Earlier this year, Maryland lawmakers introduced a bill that would replace the word “marriage” with “valid domestic partnership” in the state’s family law code. State Republicans argued that it diminished the value of marriage. The measure did not make it to the governor’s desk.

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  • November 17, 2008 4:18 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Diamond Bar resident talks about spot fire

  People who live in a Diamond Bar neighborhood right over the ridge from Tonner Canyon, where the Triangle Complex is actively burning, shared a few nervous moments this morning. All of a sudden, a plume of smoke started billowing on the hillside behind a couple of homes.

  It was a spot fire that quickly caught a pine tree. Firefighters showed up en masse and quickly doused the flames before they could spread. The fire was right behind Bridgette Esparza’s house. She’s thankful firefighters saw the smoke before she did.

  Bridgette Esparza: “I am so glad! I love the firefighters. If it wasn’t for them, because I was a nervous wreck. I was like, ‘Oh my God.’ If they weren’t around, that could easily have caught into something big, because with all the dry brush.”

  Firefighters say the ember that likely started the spot fire may have been sitting there, smoldering, for a day or two.

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  • November 17, 2008 4:13 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Diamond Bar neighbors get scare with spot fire

  Some people who’ve stayed in a Diamond Bar neighborhood under mandatory evacuation orders got a scare today. The main Triangle Complex fire is actively burning in Tonner Canyon, right over the ridge from the neighborhood. It’s tough to tell, though, because there’s not a big plume of smoke as there was over the weekend. Bridgette Esparza had just gotten home at mid-morning.

  Bridgette Esparza: “I saw my neighbor, started talking to her and stuff and before you know it, I see all these fire trucks starting to come up, you know. And I’m like, ‘Wow, where are they going?’ [laughs]

  “And then all of a sudden they stop and I turn around. And they’re like, ‘There’s smoke. Is that your house?’ I’m like, ‘Yes.’ And I run in, walk to the back yard and up on the hill, the trees was inflamed.”

  Esparza says the flames were shooting up six or seven feet into the pine tree and were starting to ignite another tree. Firefighters jumped on it quickly and put it out. They told her it may have been sparked by an ember that had smoldered since the weekend.

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  • November 17, 2008 3:41 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Southland man sentenced to 4 years in prison, $101 million fine for Angeles National Forest wildfire

  A wildfire in the Angeles National Forest two years ago has landed a Southland man in federal prison for almost four years. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has more on today’s sentencing.

  Cheryl Devall: The forest was home to Steven Emory Butcher. During his sentencing hearing, he told the judge that he loves nature, and that he’d tried everything to put out the fire he’d started by tossing a cigarette butt near his campsite.

  The resulting fire burned for a month, from early September into October of 2006, and became the fifth-largest wildfire in state history. Butcher was a transient with a long history of living in remote areas of the Angeles National Forest.

  Judge Valerie Baker Fairbank noted that the 50-year-old also has a long history of paranoid schizophrenia and alcoholism, and she recommended a mental health evaluation before his release.

  In addition to the prison time, the judge ordered Butcher to pay $101 million in restitution. The 162,000-acre fire cost more than $78 million to fight. It injured 18 people and destroyed 11 buildings.

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  • November 17, 2008 3:37 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Environment

• Evacuees at Brea shelter talk about experiences

  Emergency officials delivered some welcome news this afternoon to fire evacuees at the Brea Community Center.

  KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez was there.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Flames from the Freeway Complex Fire forced out hundreds of people Saturday night from homes in the Carbon Canyon area north of Yorba Linda.

  Dozens of them found shelter at the Brea Community Center, where they waited for news of the destruction. Information arrived slowly. Three homes burned to the ground – one in the Hollydale Mobile Home Park, another in Olinda Village.

  Then at 2:30 this afternoon about 25 evacuees gathered to hear news from Brea city officials. It’s safe to return now. Cell phone service is down, officials said; there’s no power in Olinda Village and firefighters are still there putting out spot fires.

  Many people sighed with relief. Most in the room were neighbors, displaced into temporary exile from their homes by the Freeway Complex Fire.

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  • November 17, 2008 3:23 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Deputy fire chief remarks on those who lost homes due to Oakridge Mobile Home Park fire

  Residents of the burned out Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar got a chance to survey the damage to their community today. Police drove them through in vans – only those whose homes survived the Sayre Fire were allowed 10 minutes to inspect their property. LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Moore was in charge of the tours.

  LAPD Deputy Chief Michael Moore: “You talk about a group that has just gone through a hellish experience, and many of them have lost their entire life, their life savings, and their possessions.

  “And yet I cannot tell you how many times they have such a gracious and wonderful heart as far as to say thank you, and to help our men and women understand that they really do, are appreciating our first responders’ efforts.”

  Deputy Chief Moore spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Nearly 500 homes were destroyed at Oakridge; about 120 are still standing.

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  • November 17, 2008 3:17 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Tax breaks available for people affected by wildfires

  It’s not exactly a silver lining for people affected by the wildfires, but state authorities are offering a number of tax breaks. More on the story from KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde.

  Kitty Felde: November is property tax month. If your property went up in flames or was damaged, your first call should be to your county tax assessor to apply for a reduced assessment. Don’t worry about the upcoming deadline.

  You’re also eligible for a one-month extension on property taxes. Businesses that sustained fire damage can also take advantage of tax breaks. It’s possible to delay sales taxes, alcohol beverage taxes, cigarette taxes, hazardous waste fees, and a whole host of other state taxes for one month.

  Business owners should contact the state Board of Equalization. You should also contact that board if you’ve lost your tax records in the fires. Even if the bill went up in smoke, you’ll still have to pay it.

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  • November 17, 2008 3:03 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment

• Budget cuts mean fewer spots for students at Cal State campuses

  If you were planning to attend one of the California State Universities next year, the system’s chancellor offers two words of advice: apply early. Budget cuts mean the Cal State campuses will enroll fewer students. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has already warned the Cal State system that the state will cut its budget for the second half of this year by $97 million.

  And he’s told system officials to prepare for more cuts next year. In a conference call with reporters, Cal State Chancellor Charles B. Reid said that’ll mean eliminating 10,000 admission spots from the 2009-2010 school year.

  Charles B. Reid: Not providing real access to students is a big issue. We can’t continue to admit more and more students without receiving adequate funding.

  Felde: Every one of the 23 Cal State campuses will impose an enrollment quota equal to the number of students they enrolled during the 2007-2008 school year. That means the most popular campuses will fill up early. Some campuses could cap enrollment as early as the end of this month.

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  • November 17, 2008 3:00 PM
  • Categories: Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• California Air Resources Board head Nichols under consideration to run EPA in Obama administration

  The head of the California Air Resources Board, Mary Nichols, is reportedly under consideration to run the federal Environmental Protection Agency in the Obama administration. Nichols told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that she’s dismayed at the way the Bush administration has regarded that agency:

  Mary Nichols: “I think it’s fair to say that most states and environmental groups feel that EPA has been systemically ignored, mistreated, undermined. Probably the worst thing that’s happened over the last eight years or so has been the decline in respect for science at the EPA.”

  Nichols has been battling the federal government in court over proposed curbs on greenhouse gas emissions for California. She said she’s honored that people are suggesting her as a candidate to head the EPA.

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  • November 17, 2008 2:57 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• California officials consider new building standards to protect property from fire

  State and local officials say they’re considering whether to enact new building standards that could deter property destruction from fire.

  As he toured the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar, Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Mike Moore said building codes and zoning can help protect structures.

  Mike Moore: “There are varying standards for standoff distances as well as home construction. The closed eaves, the fire resistant or retardant roof, the concrete. But with a high level of heat, concrete will burn, I’m told. So it’s one of those situations where no matter man’s involvement with physical science, there is a limit.”

  L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has said the city also is considering a more aggressive program for clearing brush – including ornamental vegetation around homes – that can feed fires.

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  • November 17, 2008 2:38 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Firefighter discusses working 24 hour shifts battling Sayre Fire

  Some firefighters have worked multiple 24-hour shifts to battle the Sayre Fire that started in Sylmar Friday night. Twenty-seven-year-old Scott Kingsland operated a water-tender truck for almost 24 hours, then rested 12 hours on the ground at Hansen Dam Park near Lake View Terrace.

  Then he was back out to Oat Mountain for another 24-hour shift that ended this morning at 7:30. Kingsland described the smoky conditions he endured on the first night.

  Scott Kingsland: “You couldn’t see! You couldn’t see that far in front of you. Your eyes were just burning even with your goggles on. And sometimes you remove them to wipe your eyes and your eyes would just continue to burn.

  “You couldn’t breathe. You know, but, you know, eventually it would let up for a little bit, just enough for you to do your job, and then you could go back to work.”

  Emergency officials say the Sayre fire is 40 percent contained. They credit firefighters’ hard work, and winds that are calmer now than during the weekend.

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  • November 17, 2008 2:36 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Former mobile home resident talks about losing his home to fire at Oakridge Mobile Home Park

  Many people who lost their homes at the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar fondly remember it. Daniel Boone says the park was a beautiful place to live.

  Daniel Boone: “Well, it was probably one of the better mobile home parks anywhere. It was well maintained. Management was pretty good. For my part, we had pretty good neighbors.”

  Frank Stoltze: “What will you do now?”

  Boone: “I remember the words of Maurice Chevalier and when he was asked how he felt about being 80, he said it doesn’t bother me at all when I consider the alternative. So the alternative is what – to fall apart? Nah, I’m OK.”

  Nearly 500 modular homes burned at the park.

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  • November 17, 2008 12:32 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• LA County Department of Mental Health offers counseling to fire victims

  The Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health is offering counseling to fire victims. Counselor Chris Contreras is coordinating efforts at the evacuation center at Sylmar High School.

  Chris Contreras: “The thing is if these symptoms of high anxiety and depression and sadness – some of our older folks are even getting confused because they’re so stressed out and worried – and if these symptoms don’t dissipate somewhat in the next week or two, then I would say we would be concerned about that.

  “And we would want them to come in an be evaluated and see if there’s something that we could do further than talk therapy. Maybe some medications might help them to settle down, be calmer, to sleep.”

  Contreras says the counseling is free.

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  • November 17, 2008 12:30 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Members of different economic groups forced to evacuate due to wildfires

  Wildfires don’t favor one social position over another, as KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez found out when he visited a shelter at Anaheim’s Katella High School yesterday.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Mexican immigrant Silvia Hernandez left her modest, rented home in the Santa Ana Canyon area when smoke made it hard for her to breathe. She lives just minutes south of the Yorba Linda mansions she’s cleaned for a living for two decades.

  Silvia Hernandez: Ahorita me comunique con uno de mis patrones y me dicen que estan bien.

  Guzman-Lopez: Hernandez said she had just called the owner of one of the homes she cleans and he told her that like her, his family was also evacuated and couldn’t return home. A television at the Anaheim shelter showed images of luxurious Yorba Linda homes turned to ashes.

  Hernandez watched closely but didn’t recognize any of them. She said the evacuation’s been tough on her family. Her three grandchildren have asthma. She has diabetes. In the haze of so much smoke at her house, she grabbed her medication, but not the kit to test her blood.

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  • November 17, 2008 11:03 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Nearly 100 people evacuated from fire use Anaheim evacuation center

  Five evacuation shelters took in people displaced by the Triangle Complex fire in north Orange County. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez visited the shelter at Anaheim’s Katella High School and filed this report.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: The American Red Cross turned a high school gymnasium decorated with 130 championship sports banners into a shelter for people who’d lost everything. Sixteen-year-old Melody Fang and her family went there after they had to leave their Yorba Linda home.

  Melody Fang: The police came and they were evacuating, I was nervous, I was freaking out of course. I didn’t even bring anything with me, no clothes, no computer.”

  Guzman-Lopez: Her home’s still standing. Fang did manage to carry a thick chemistry book so she could study for an upcoming test. But she found it nearly impossible to concentrate at the shelter, given the official fire department updates, televised fire coverage, and cell phone chats with evacuated friends – some of whom have no homes to go back to.

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  • November 17, 2008 11:01 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• OC Supervisor wants to stop sheriff from yanking concealed weapons permits

  The battle over concealed weapons permits in Orange County heads to the county Board of Supervisors this week. KPCC’s Susan Valot says that tomorrow, one of the supervisors plans to float a resolution that would stop the sheriff from yanking previously-issued permits.

  Susan Valot: The key prosecution witness in former Sheriff Mike Carona’s corruption trial suggests that Carona handed out reserve badges and concealed weapons permits in exchange for campaign donations. Since Sheriff Sandra Hutchens took over the job earlier this year, she’s tightened the concealed weapons permit policy.

  So far, the sheriff’s department has sent out more than 400 letters to concealed weapons permit holders, telling them the permit won’t be renewed unless holders can prove they have a valid reason to carry a firearm. That’s ticked off supporters of gun rights.

  Supervisor Chris Norby plans to introduce a measure that would require the sheriff to renew concealed weapons permits unless the holders misused their permits. But one official has pointed out that state law puts that ball in the sheriff’s court, not in the board of supervisors’.

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  • November 17, 2008 10:49 AM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Jurors hear hours of tapes in Carona corruption trial

  Attorneys defending former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona from federal corruption charges played three-and-a-half hours of a secretly-recorded conversation Friday. They say they want to give the jurors “context.”

  KPCC’s Susan Valot was in the Santa Ana courtroom to hear the conversation that former Assistant Sheriff - and key prosecution witness - Don Haidl secretly taped with Carona in August of last year.

  Susan Valot: “At one point in the tape, Carona admits they could have done some things better, but there weren’t any major screw-ups. He says ‘You want a badge? Here you go. You want a gun permit? Here you go. It just didn’t happen.’

  “But other parts are a little more damning, suggesting Carona was trying to get his story straight with Haidl’s. For instance, Carona at one point says, quote, ‘Unless there was a pinhole in your ceiling that evening, it never [expletive] happened, because it never [expletive] happened, Don. It never [expletive] happened.’”

  Defense attorneys will question Haidl about the taped conversation when the trial resumes Tuesday.

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  • November 17, 2008 10:46 AM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Fire evacuee talks about packing to leave for Anaheim shelter

  The Red Cross has helped set up evacuation shelters across the Southland to house some of the tens of thousands of people displaced by the wildfires.

  Beverly Buffet ended up at a shelter in Anaheim with half a dozen neighbors from her senior citizens complex. She says she barely had time to pack her essentials.

  Beverly Buffet: “The winds sort of went from just blowing to just swirling, it was just really like intense, and you couldn’t breathe. I was going to get more stuff out and I finally, I just, I can’t, I can’t go back in there. I got the cats and I got in the car and I said, if it burns, it burns.”

  By last night Buffet and dozens of people from Yorba Linda who’d spent the night at the Katella High School shelter were allowed to return home.

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  • November 17, 2008 10:13 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Evacuee talks about Triangle Complex fire, evacuation process

  Tens of thousands of people left their homes in the last few days to avoid the walls of flames of the Triangle Complex fire in north Orange County.

  Twenty-one-year-old Laura King recalls the quick getaway with her family from her house in the Yorba Linda hills.

  Laura King: “In front of us there was embers the size of your fist, some on fire, some just falling. There was ashes everywhere. It was really hot. There were people trying to put out fires on their trees, on their roofs, with hoses, people didn’t want to leave.

  “So, yeah, that was pretty much it. We were the last ones out. And there was a group, an elderly group home around the corner from us, and they didn’t want to leave, and they were forcing them into cop cars.”

  King and her family stayed the night at Katella High School’s gym. The American Red Cross converted it into a shelter.

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  • November 17, 2008 10:07 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• California firefighters make gains on fires

  By JUSTIN PRITCHARD
  Associated Press Writer

  DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (AP) — With the ferocious Santa Ana winds dying down, firefighters on Monday made gains on three raging wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee.

  Wind gusts had peaked to more than 70 mph at the height of the fires over the weekend, but by Monday morning they weakened to about 20 mph, the National Weather Service said.

  “It’s wonderful news,” Angela Garbiso, a spokeswoman with Orange County Fire Authority, said Monday. “When it calms down, it obviously makes it easier for us to handle this massive undertaking.”

  The fires, which have burned since Thursday night from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles and counties to the east, blackened more than 35,000 acres or 55 square miles.

  In Orange and Riverside counties, the fires chewed through nearly 24,000 acres and were pushing toward Diamond Bar in Los Angeles county. A major aerial attack on Sunday raised containment to 19 percent.

  Meanwhile, a 10,000-acre fire that hit hard in the Sylmar area of northern Los Angeles on Saturday moved into the Placerita Canyon area of the rugged San Gabriel Mountains and was burning vigorously, but well outside the city. It was 40 percent contained.

  The Santa Barbara-area fire that swept through tony Montecito has burned 1,940 acres and was 80 percent contained.

  The cause of all the fires were under investigation, although officials said the Santa Barbara-area was “human caused,” said Doug Lannon, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

  Lannon said the fire started in a Montecito landmark known to be a popular hangout for teenagers. He said it was possible someone was smoking in the brush or started a campfire there. Investigators have set up an anonymous tip line in hopes of getting the public’s help in finding out who started the fire.

  Far away from the flames, the smell of smoke pervaded metropolitan Los Angeles. Downtown skyscrapers were silhouettes in an opaque sky and concerns about air quality kept many people indoors. Organizers on Sunday canceled a marathon in suburban Pasadena where 8,000 runners had planned to participate.

  Officials warned of another bad air day on Monday, and classes were canceled at dozens of schools near the fire zones in Orange County.

  Many evacuees began the agonizing process of making their way back to their destroyed homes.

  Starting Monday morning, anxious residents of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar, where 484 homes were destroyed by fire early Saturday, will be allowed to return to inspect their property. Firefighters were able to save about 120 other homes in the community, but many were badly damaged.

  Cadaver dogs had been searching the burned units to determine whether anybody perished during the fast-moving fire, but so far no bodies have been found, police said.

  Tracy Burns knew her Sylmar home was gone but still wanted to get into the gated community to see what remained.

  “Even those of us who know there’s nothing left, we want to go in and kick over the rubble and see if we can find something, anything,” Burns said.

  Tears welled in her partner Wendy Dannenberg’s eyes as she echoed: “If I can find one broken piece of one dish - anything, anything at all.”

  Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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  • November 17, 2008 8:23 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Even as winds calm, more Californians flee fires

  By JUSTIN PRITCHARD Associated Press Writer

  DIAMOND BAR, Calif. (AP) — More residents of Southern California were urged to leave their homes Sunday despite calming winds that allowed a major aerial attack on wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes and blanketed the region in smoke.

  Fires burned in Los Angeles County, to the east in Riverside and Orange counties, and to the northwest in Santa Barbara County. More than 800 houses, mobile homes and apartments were destroyed by fires that have burned areas more than 34 square miles since breaking out Thursday.

  No deaths have been reported, but police brought in trained dogs Sunday morning to search the rubble of a mobile home park where nearly 500 homes were destroyed. They didn’t find any bodies after searching about a third of the homes.

  “This has been a very tough few days for the people of Southern California,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said after touring damage.

  The smell of smoke pervaded metropolitan Los Angeles. Downtown skyscrapers were silhouettes in an opaque sky, and concerns about air quality forced organizers to cancel a marathon in suburban Pasadena where 8,000 runners had planned to participate.

  Fierce Santa Ana winds that fanned the fires on Saturday weakened Sunday morning, allowing firefighters to set backfires to prevent flames from advancing to hillside neighborhoods. Air tankers swooped low over suburbs, red fire retardant billowing from their bellies as they painted defensive lines between brushlands and homes. Big helicopters shuttled back and forth on water drops.

  The most threatening blaze had scorched more than 16 square miles in Orange and Riverside counties after erupting Saturday and shooting through subdivisions entwined with wilderness parklands. Multimillion-dollar homes were threatened in Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County as the out-of-control fire pushed northward.

  Fire officials on Sunday morning ordered 1,400 more residents to evacuate, in addition to 26,500 who had already been told to leave.

  Retired aerospace engineer Joe Gomez, who has lived in his palm-tree-lined Diamond Bar neighborhood for 45 years, stayed put despite being under a mandatory evacuation.

  “I’m trying to use some logic here,” said Gomez, 72, trying to gauge the direction of the wind and flames. “I don’t think it’s going to come down this way.”

  In the early morning, winds pushed flames dangerously close to a church and adjacent mobile home park in the Olinda Village area north of Yorba Linda, but firefighters were able to beat it back. Only one mobile home was lost.

  Little fire activity was apparent in Orange County after dark Sunday, but the official containment estimate remained at zero.

  On Saturday, the fire burned 119 homes in the communities of Corona, Yorba Linda and Anaheim. In addition, 50 units of an apartment complex burned, Orange County fire spokeswoman Angela Garbiso said.

  Capt. Guy Melker of the Los Angeles County Fire Department stood on a balcony of a multimillion-dollar home in Diamond Bar, looking down into a canyon with flames on the far side.

  “It’s an interesting chess game right now,” Melker said. “Sometimes Mother Nature puts us in check, and our job is to put her in checkmate.”

  As Melker spoke, a small spotter plane slipped low across a ridge, followed by a big air tanker that dropped its load along a ridge.

  In the Orange County city of Brea, fire destroyed the main building of a high school.

  About 50 miles to the northwest, a large fire that torched a mobile home park in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley had moved into the rugged San Gabriel Mountains and was burning vigorously - but well outside the city.

  Authorities said Sunday that 484 of the Oakridge Mobile Home Park’s 608 units were lost. The fire also destroyed nine single-family homes and 11 commercial buildings.

  The park was home to many elderly residents, and though no fatalities were reported and no one was reported missing, investigators were searching the site using trained dogs. The search was about 30 percent complete by midday Sunday.

  “To this point no human remains have been found,” said Deputy Police Chief Michael Moore.

  Fire officials estimated that at the peak of the Sylmar fire, 10,000 people were ordered to evacuate. However, many evacuation orders were lifted Saturday night, Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson said. Five looting arrests were reported.

  About 90 miles northwest of Sylmar, a 3-square-mile fire that began in the upscale Santa Barbara County community of Montecito on Thursday night was 75 percent contained by Sunday morning after injuring at least 25 people.

  County spokesman William Boyer said 130 homes burned in the city of Santa Barbara and 80 burned in adjacent Montecito. Some of those destroyed were multimillion-dollar homes with ocean views. All evacuees but those from 260 homes were allowed to return by Sunday night.

  Associated Press writers Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Alex Veiga and Alicia Chang contributed to this report.

  Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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  • November 16, 2008 11:13 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Society/Culture

• Southern California firefighters aided by calmer wind

  By JUSTIN PRITCHARD
  Associated Press Writer

  BREA, Calif. (AP) — Calmer wind Sunday aided firefighters battling wildfires that have destroyed hundreds of homes in Southern California, forced thousands of residents to flee and blanketed much of the region with choking smoke.

  The fires have blackened more than 34 square miles since Thursday in parts of Los Angeles County, Riverside and Orange counties to the east, and Santa Barbara County to the northwest. More than 800 homes and apartments had been destroyed.

  No deaths were reported, but police brought trained dogs Sunday morning to search the rubble of a mobile home park where some 500 homes were destroyed. They were focusing on mobile homes where cars still parked in front.

  Even areas far away from the flames were affected as poor air quality forced many people to stay indoors. Organizers canceled a marathon in Pasadena in which 8,000 runners had planned to participate.

  Sunday’s easing of the fierce Santa Ana wind allowed firefighters to set backfires in efforts to block the main fires from advancing into hillside neighborhoods.

  The most threatening blaze had charred more than 16 square miles of Orange and Riverside counties since erupting Saturday and shooting through subdivisions entwined with wilderness parklands.

  Early Sunday, the wind pushed flames dangerously close to a church and adjacent mobile home park in the Olinda Village area north of Yorba Linda, but firefighters were able to beat it back and only one mobile home was lost.

  Billy Bagsby, an inmate firefighter with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said the flames suddenly shifted direction around 2 a.m.

  “It was like the church was protecting itself,” Bagsby said.

  That fire had destroyed 119 homes in the communities of Corona, Yorba Linda and the Anaheim Hills area of Anaheim. In addition, 50 units of an apartment complex burned, Orange County fire spokeswoman Angela Garbiso said. Flames also destroyed the main building of a high school in the Orange County city of Brea.

  Apartment resident Melody Ma, 24, said she took her sister to piano lessons Saturday morning, when the fire’s smoke appeared to be far away, then found she couldn’t return home.

  “There’s things you can’t replace like photos and stuff,” said Ma, bursting into tears in a shelter.

  Capt. Leonard Grill, a 20-year veteran of the Riverside County Fire Department, watched for flaring embers in a Yorba Linda neighborhood late Saturday.

  “It’s gotten worse and worse every year. I can’t keep track of them anymore,” Grill said of the region’s wildfires. “These used to be the out-of-the-ordinary fires, once-in-a-career kind of fires. Now they’re every year. “

  Six firefighters from various agencies were injured in the blaze, including four Corona firefighters hurt when flames swept over their engine, Garbiso said. Two of the Corona crew members required hospital treatment but were released.

  About 50 miles to the northwest, a fire in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley had spread across nearly 15 square miles and had destroyed more than 500 homes and 11 commercial buildings.

  By midmorning Sunday, firefighters reported the Sylmar fire 35 percent contained.

  Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda said there was almost total devastation in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park, where 500 mobile homes were destroyed.

  “I can’t even read the street names because the street signs are melting,” Ruda said.

  Fire officials estimated that at the peak of the Sylmar fire, 10,000 people were ordered to evacuate. However, many evacuation orders were lifted Saturday night, Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson said. Five looting arrests were reported.

  Among those who lost homes in the Sylmar fire was Linda Pogacnik, who said that after decades of driving a school bus full of noisy kids, she finally bought her dream house at “the Beverly Hills of mobile home parks.”

  “It had this beautiful oval bathtub, and just a few nights ago I lit candles and put on soft music and got in,” she said, sighing with the memory. “The moon was full, and it made it look like the eucalyptus tree outside had little white lights.”

  She left with only her dogs, some clothes and a few essentials.

  About 90 miles northwest of Sylmar, a 3-square-mile fire in the upscale Santa Barbara County community of Montecito was 75 contained Sunday morning. County spokesman William Boyer said 106 homes were destroyed in the city of Santa Barbara and 77 burned in adjacent Montecito. He said the final total could reach 200, many of them multimillion-dollar homes with ocean views.

  At least half of the 5,400 evacuees there had been allowed to return home by Saturday night. At least 13 people were injured in that fire.

  ---

  Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Thomas Watkins, Alicia Chang, Bob Jablon, and Christopher Weber contributed to this report.

  Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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  • November 16, 2008 10:56 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Southern California battles devastating wildfires

  By AMY TAXIN
  Associated Press Writer

  YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) — Walls of towering flames pushed by Santa Ana wind raged through Southern California hills early Sunday after destroying hundreds of homes and forcing thousands of residents to flee.

  Evacuees could only watch the wildfires from a distance and wait to learn the fate of their homes and possessions.

  “I’m hoping my house will not burn down, but if it burns down that’s my life, right? I’ve got to start from scratch again,” said Jack Chen, 56, of Yorba Linda as he sat on a cot in a gym at Katella High School in Anaheim.

  Fires in Los Angeles County, to the east in Riverside and Orange counties, and to the northwest in Santa Barbara County had blackened nearly 29 square miles and destroyed more than 800 mobile homes, houses and apartments since Thursday night. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared states of emergency in all three counties.

  Forecasts indicated the Santa Ana wind would abate by Sunday afternoon, but humidity would remain very low.

  The most threatening blaze early Sunday had charred more than 11 square miles in Orange and Riverside counties since erupting Saturday and shooting through subdivisions entwined with wilderness parklands. Containment was just 5 percent.

  More than 60 homes burned in the communities of Corona, Yorba Linda and the Anaheim Hills area of Anaheim. In addition, 50 units of one apartment complex burned, Orange County fire spokeswoman Angela Garbiso said.

  On Sunday, fire was dangerously close to a mobile home park in the Olinda Village area north of Yorba Linda, but firefighters had been able to push it back, said Lynette Round, another fire spokeswoman.

  At one point a firefighter battling the Orange County apartment blaze ran down a street with two Pomeranian dogs - one white and one brown - under each arm and placed them in a TV news truck, then dashed back to the fire. The firefighter, who would not give his name, said he rescued the dogs from a burning apartment.

  Apartment resident Melody Ma, 24, said she took her sister to piano lessons Saturday morning, when the smoke appeared to be far away, then found she couldn’t return home.

  “There’s things you can’t replace like photos and stuff,” said Ma, bursting into tears in a shelter.

  Evacuee Gail Slagel, 61, said she spent Saturday watching flames in the area around her house from the safety of a Yorba Linda strip mall.

  “I just kept sitting there saying, ‘Please, please, please, give me a home to come home to, don’t let it be gone,” she said as she sat outside a restaurant with her ash-covered poodle.

  Capt. Leonard Grill, a 20-year veteran of the Riverside County Fire Department, watched for flaring embers in a Yorba Linda neighborhood late Saturday.

  “It’s gotten worse and worse every year. I can’t keep track of them anymore,” Grill said of recent destructive wildfires. “These used to be the out-of-the-ordinary fires, once-in-a-career kind of fires. Now they’re every year. “

  Six firefighters from various agencies were injured in the blaze, including four Corona firefighters who were hurt when flames swept over their engine, Garbiso said. Two of the Corona crewmembers required hospital treatment but were released.

  A separate fire in the Orange County city of Brea charred more than 2 square miles and destroyed the main building of a high school.

  The largest fire had grown to more than 12 square miles in the Sylmar area of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley since destroying 500 mobile homes, nine single-family homes and 11 commercial buildings early Saturday. Containment was put at 20 percent.

  Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Steve Ruda said there was almost total devastation in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park.

  “I can’t even read the street names because the street signs are melting,” Ruda said.

  No deaths were reported at the park, but police Chief William Bratton said dogs would be brought in to search the rubble on Sunday to determine whether anyone perished there.

  Fire officials estimated that at the peak of the Sylmar fire, 10,000 people were ordered to evacuate. However, many evacuation orders were lifted Saturday night, Fire Department spokesman Ron Haralson said. Five looting arrests were reported.

  Among those who lost homes in the Sylmar fire was Linda Pogacnik, who said that after decades of driving a school bus full of noisy kids, she finally bought her dream house at “the Beverly Hills of mobile home parks.”

  “It had this beautiful oval bathtub, and just a few nights ago I lit candles and put on soft music and got in,” she said, sighing with the memory. “The moon was full, and it made it look like the eucalyptus tree outside had little white lights.”

  She left with only her dogs, some clothes and a few essentials. Left behind were photography books and scrapbooking materials that she said were “going to be all I did for the rest of my life.”

  Northwest of Los Angeles, authorities raised the number of homes lost in a fire that began in the Santa Barbara County community of Montecito on Thursday night. County communication director William Boyer said 106 homes burned in the city of Santa Barbara and 77 burned in adjacent Montecito. He said the final total could reach 200.

  The fire was 40 percent contained Saturday evening, according to city public information officer Browning Allen. Burned acreage was revised downward to 1,500 acres, or over two square miles, and that was expected to hold because of calming winds, Boyer said. At least half of the 5,400 evacuees had been allowed to return home by Saturday night.

  At least 13 people were injured in that fire.

  ---

  Associated Press writers Gillian Flaccus, Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Thomas Watkins, Alicia Chang, Bob Jablon, and Christopher Weber contributed to this report.

  Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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  • November 16, 2008 7:13 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Wildfires in LA reduce hundreds of homes to ash

  By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER Associated Press Writer

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - Southern Californians endured a third day of destruction Saturday as wind-blasted wildfires torched hundreds of mobile homes and mansions, forced tens of thousands of people to flee and shut down major freeways.

  No deaths were reported, but the Los Angeles police chief said he feared authorities might find bodies among the 500 burned dwellings in a devastated mobile home park that housed many senior citizens.

  “We have almost total devastation here in the mobile park,” Fire Capt. Steve Ruda said. “I can’t even read the street names because the street signs are melting.”

  The series of fires has injured at least 20 people and destroyed hundreds of homes from coastal Santa Barbara to inland Riverside County, on the other side of the Los Angeles area. Smoke blanketed the nation’s second-largest city Saturday, reducing the afternoon sun to a pale orange disk.

  As night fell, a fire fed by a sleet of blowing embers hopscotched through the winding lanes of modern subdivisions in Orange and Riverside counties, destroying more than 50 homes, some of them apparently mansions.

  A blaze in the Sylmar community in the hillsides above Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley destroyed the mobile homes, nine single-family homes and several other buildings before growing to more than 8,000 acres - more than 12 square miles. It was only 20 percent contained Saturday.

  It sent residents fleeing in the dark Saturday morning as notorious Santa Ana winds topping 75 mph torched cars, bone-dry brush and much of Oakridge Mobile Home Park. The blaze, whose cause was under investigation, threatened at least 1,000 structures, city Fire Department spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said.

  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Orange and Riverside counties. Fire officials estimated that at its peak 10,000 people were under orders to evacuate, including residents of the mobile home park.

  Extreme fire conditions were expected to continue into Sunday morning, with humidity at just 10 percent to 15 percent and winds gusting to 45 mph through canyons. Winds, however, could reverse direction and dip to 5-mph breezes Sunday afternoon.

  “We still have another 15 hours of red flag conditions,” Robert Balfour, a senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service in San Diego, warned fire officials at a briefing Saturday night.

  Many heat records were set as the region withered under the Santa Anas. Downtown Los Angeles was 20 degrees above normal at a record 93 degrees.

  At an evacuation center, Lucretia Romero, 65, wore a string of pearls and clutched the purse and jacket she snatched as firefighters shouted at them to flee hours earlier.

  Her daughter, Lisa, 42, wore a bloodstained shirt and pants. A helicopter dropping water on their home caused the entryway ceiling to collapse. Debris scratched her forehead and gave her a black eye.

  Lucretia Romero said she saw smoke above the hills beyond the front door and then, within an hour, saw that a canyon across from her home was red with flame.

  “They would drop water, the water would squash the flames and then two minutes later the flames would come back,” she said. Firefighters soon banged on the door and gave them 10 minutes to evacuate.

  Flames swept across the park and scorched cypress trees, Ruda said. Firefighters had to flee, grabbing some residents and leaving hoses melted into the concrete.

  Ruda produced a burned U.S. flag on a broken stick as a sign of hope and bravery for firefighters. “The home that this flag was flying from is gone,” he said.

  Police Chief William Bratton said cars were found in the debris at the park, raising concerns that bodies might be found. Crews were waiting for the ground to cool before bringing in search dogs, he said.

  The Santa Anas - dry winds that typically blow through Southern California between October and February - tossed embers ahead of flames, jumping two interstate highways and sparking new flare-ups. Walls of flame raced up ridge lines covered in sun-baked brush and surrounded high-power transmission line towers.

  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said the fire caused problems that shut down power lines in places, and he asked residents to conserve power to help avoid possible blackouts.

  Shortly after midnight, the Sylmar fire burned to the edge of the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center campus, knocking out power and forcing officials to evacuate two dozen critical patients.

  The shifting winds caused the fire to move uphill toward the San Gabriel Mountains, downhill toward homes and sometimes skip across canyons. It also jumped across Interstates 5 and 210, forcing the California Highway Patrol to shut down portions of both freeways and some connecting roads.

  More than 60 homes were damaged or destroyed in a fire that erupted in the Riverside County city of Corona and spread west to the Orange County communities of Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills.

  In addition, 50 apartment units burned in a complex in Anaheim Hills. Devin Nathanson, 27, had put down a deposit on an apartment there and planned to move in Saturday. Instead, he watched from the road as it burned to the ground.

  “At least none of my stuff was inside yet,” he said.

  Palm trees lining the entrance to the complex were ablaze, and two firefighters manned hoses at the swimming pool and sprayed water on the leasing center. The roof caved in with a loud bang.

  About 2,000 acres - more than 3 square miles - were charred by that fire, with more than 12,000 people in 4,500 dwellings ordered to evacuate in Anaheim alone. Six firefighters were injured, including four Corona firefighters who were hurt when flames swept over their engine. Two of the Corona crewmembers were treated at a hospital and released.

  Winds began to decrease in the afternoon and were expected to drop further overnight, but humidity was expected to remain low.

  The night before, northwest of Los Angeles, more than 180 homes burned to the ground Thursday in Santa Barbara and the wealthy, star-studded community of Montecito, said William Boyer, spokesman for the city of Santa Barbara. The total could reach 200, he said.

  At least half of the area’s 5,400 evacuees had been allowed to return home by Saturday night, he said. The fire was 40 percent contained, city spokesman Browning Allen said.

  Several multimillion-dollar homes and a small Christian college were damaged in Montecito, a town of 14,000 that has attracted celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas and Oprah Winfrey.

  The cause of the fire is under investigation. At least 13 people were injured.

  Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Denise Petski, Alicia Chang, Bob Jablon and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles and Thomas Watkins and Amy Taxin in Montecito.

  Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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  • November 15, 2008 11:14 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Thousands evacuate as fires destroy California homes

  By SHAYA TAYEFE MOHAJER Associated Press Writer

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — A wind-blasted wildfire tore through the city’s northern foothills early Saturday, sending thousands of residents fleeing in the dark, forcing a hospital to evacuate and destroying an untold number of homes.

  The fire broke out late Friday night in the foothill community of Sylmar on the edge of the Angeles National Forest and quickly spread across 2,600 acres — more than 4 square miles — in a few hours as it was driven by Santa Ana wind that gusted as high as 76 mph.

  At least 10 homes were burned, officials said, but aerial footage from television helicopters showed many mobile homes in flames. An Associated Press photographer said a fire crew abandoned one trailer park that was burning out of control.

  Part of the area’s network of highways was shut down.

  Officials ordered huge evacuations in the Sylmar and Porter Ranch communities as the fire jumped two freeways, closing the highways and forcing fleeing evacuees to take surface streets.

  To the west, firefighters were still battling a separate wildfire that destroyed more than 110 homes in Santa Barbara.

  The Los Angeles blaze threatened at least 1,000 buildings, fire spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said.

  Flames surrounded Olive View-UCLA Medical Center around 1:30 a.m. and knocked out electricity, forcing officials to evacuate a number of patients in critical care. The hospital’s power and backup generators also failed, and emergency room staff had to keep critical patients alive with hand powered ventilators. A few babies were rushed out in ambulances to another hospital.

  “We have no power, and our generators are not working,” hospital spokeswoman Carla Nino told the Los Angeles Times. “With no power, we have no fans. … We are not circulating any air.”

  Sixteen patients in the neonatal and intensive care units were evacuated, but the hospital was not in danger, said Michael Wilson, a spokesman with the county Department of Health Services.

  Wilson said there was some fire damage to the facility that hospital administrators were evaluating.

  Some residents left their homes even before mandatory evacuation orders were issued.

  “I can see the smoke. It’s terrible. I’m going to take my dog and go,” Dorothy Boyer told The Associated Press from her home late Friday. Some people who refused to leave grabbed water hoses to defend their homes.

  More than 600 firefighters were struggling to protect homes threatened by flying embers. Because of the rough terrain in the forest, they were relying on water-dropping helicopters to tackle flames marching uphill toward the San Gabriel Mountains. Authorities said some aircraft were grounded during the night by the savage wind, but they expect six airplanes and a dozen helicopters to attack the fire at daybreak.

  Wind gusted up to 60 mph in the Sylmar area and wasn’t expected to let up until midmorning, National Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Meier said.

  The shifting wind pushed the fire uphill toward the San Gabriel Mountains and downhill toward homes, sometimes skipping across canyons. It also jumped Interstate 5 and the 210 Freeway, forcing the California Highway Patrol to shut down sections of both freeways and some connecting roads.

  The cause of the fire was under investigation. One resident suffered serious burns, Kelley said.

  The blaze also blackened habitat for the endangered California condor and several hiking trails, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea said.

  About 80 miles to the west, an uncontained blaze in the Santa Barbara community of Montecito had forced the evacuation of more than 5,400 homes since it started Thursday night, exploding through dry brush and vast stands of oil-rich eucalyptus trees. About 800 firefighters were battling the fire at the wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, and they were expected to make significant progress through Saturday morning, said Santa Barbara city fire spokesman John Ahlman.

  “There’s plenty of hot material still left out there,” he said. “But things could change in a hurry if the winds pick up.”

  Several multimillion-dollar homes and a small college suffered major damage in Montecito, a quaint and secluded area that has attracted celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas and Oprah Winfrey.

  The fire quickly consumed rows of luxury homes and parts of Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school, where students spent the night in a gymnasium shelter.

  “That whole mountain over there went up at once. Boom,” said Bob McNall, 70, who with his son and grandson saved their home by hosing it down. “The whole sky was full of embers. There was nothing that they could do. It was just too much.”

  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

  Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum said up to 200 homes may have been destroyed or damaged in his city.

  At least 13 people were injured in Montecito. A 98-year-old man with multiple medical problems died after being evacuated, but it was unclear if his death was directly related to the blaze, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said.

  Lowe, the actor, said he fled with his children as fire engulfed the mountain. The family found neighbors trapped behind their automatic car gate, which was stuck because the power was out. Lowe said he helped open the big gates.

  “Embers were falling. Wind was 70 miles an hour, easily, and it was just like Armageddon,” Lowe told KABC-TV. “You couldn’t hear yourself think.” Lowe said his house hadn’t burned.

  Montecito, known for its balmy climate and charming Spanish colonial homes, has long attracted celebrities. The landmark Montecito Inn was built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin, and the nearby San Ysidro Ranch was the honeymoon site of John F. Kennedy in 1953.

  Montecito suffered a major fire in 1977, when more than 200 homes burned. A fire in 1964 burned about 67,000 acres and damaged 150 houses and buildings.

  Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Denise Petski, Alicia Chang, Bob Jablon and Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles and Thomas Watkins and Amy Taxin in Montecito.

  Copyright 2008 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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  Tea Fire Information - Santa Barbara County

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  • November 15, 2008 11:29 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Fires destroy homes in LA, Santa Barbara County

  By DAISY NGUYEN Associated Press Writer

  LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fierce winds on Saturday fanned a wildfire that has burned about 10 homes and threatened a thousand others in northern Los Angeles, while firefighters to the west in Santa Barbara County battled a blaze that had destroyed more than 100 homes.

  The fire in the foothill community of Sylmar on the edge of the Angeles National Forest broke out late Friday and charred over two square miles in a few hours, prompting officials to order about 5,000 residents to leave their homes.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, this fire will move faster than you can walk or run,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Donald Frazeur said. “It’s important to move out of harm’s way right now.”

  The fire has consumed about 10 homes, fire spokeswoman Melissa Kelley said. The fire threatened a thousand homes and a hospital, but officials determined it was safer for patients at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center to stay put.

  Some residents left their homes even before mandatory evacuation orders were issued.

  “I can see the smoke. It’s terrible. I’m going to take my dog and go,” Dorothy Boyer told The Associated Press from her home late Friday. Some people who refused to leave grabbed water hoses to defend their homes.

  More than 500 firefighters were struggling to protect thousands of homes at risk of catching fire from flying embers. Several water-dropping helicopters flew overhead as heavy smoke blanketed the area.

  Los Angeles County was under a red flag warning of gusty winds and dry conditions creating extreme fire danger. Winds gusted up to 60 mph in the Sylmar area and they weren’t expected to let up until about 3 a.m., National Weather Service meteorologist Jamie Meier said.

  The shifting winds were causing the fire to move uphill toward the San Gabriel Mountains, downhill toward homes and sometimes skipping across canyons.

  The cause of the fire was under investigation. One resident suffered serious burn injuries, Kelley said.

  The fire has burned a portion of forest land, including habitat for the endangered California condor and several hiking trails, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Stanton Florea said.

  About 80 miles to the west, an uncontained blaze in the Santa Barbara community of Montecito had forced the evacuation of more than 5,400 homes since it started Thursday night. About 800 firefighters were battling the fire at the wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, and they were expected to make significant progress through Saturday morning, said Santa Barbara city fire spokesman John Ahlman.

  He said homes would not be in serious danger if the winds remained calm.

  “There’s plenty of hot material still left out there,” he said. “But things could change in a hurry if the winds pick up.”

  Several multimillion-dollar homes and a small Christian college received major damage from the blaze in Montecito, a quaint and secluded area that has attracted celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas and Oprah Winfrey. The fire started Thursday evening and turned into an exploding inferno fueled by blistering winds, dry brush and vast stands of oil-rich eucalyptus trees.

  The fire quickly consumed rows of luxury homes and parts of Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school, where students spent the night in a gymnasium shelter.

  “That whole mountain over there went up at once. Boom,” said Bob McNall, 70, who with his son and grandson saved their home by hosing it down. “The whole sky was full of embers. There was nothing that they could do. It was just too much.”

  The cause of the fire is under investigation.

  Santa Barbara Mayor Marty Blum said up to 200 homes may have been destroyed or damaged in his city.

  At least 13 people were injured in Montecito. A 98-year-old man with multiple medical problems died after being evacuated to a hotel, but it was unclear if his death was directly related to the blaze, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said.

  At least part of actor Christopher Lloyd’s property was damaged in the fire, the Los Angeles Times reported on its real estate blog. It said a Times reporter witnessed much of the “Back to the Future” actor’s eight-acre grounds in ruins, and that he was filming on location in Vancouver but a caretaker had fled the property. Lloyd’s agent had no comment Friday when contacted by The Associated Press, and messages left with his manager were not returned.

  Lowe, the actor, said he fled with his children as fire engulfed the mountain and flames shot 200 feet in the air. The family stopped to check on neighbors and found them trapped behind their automatic car gate, which was stuck because the power was out. Lowe said he helped get the big gates open.

  “Embers were falling. Wind was 70 miles an hour, easily, and it was just like Armageddon,” Lowe told KABC-TV. “You couldn’t hear yourself think.” Lowe said his house hadn’t burned.

  Montecito, known for its balmy climate and charming Spanish colonial homes, has long attracted celebrities. The landmark Montecito Inn was built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin, and the nearby San Ysidro Ranch was the honeymoon site of John F. Kennedy in 1953.

  Montecito suffered a major fire in 1977, when more than 200 homes burned. A fire in 1964 burned about 67,000 acres and damaged 150 houses and buildings.

  ---

  Bob Jablon, Solvej Schou and Denise Petski in Los Angeles and Thomas Watkins and Amy Taxin in Montecito contributed to this report.

  Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

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  • November 15, 2008 6:20 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Schwarzenegger convenes international climate summit in Los Angeles

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger convenes a climate summit in Los Angeles next week in advance of a major global conference coming up soon. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has the story.

  Molly Peterson: Five U.S. governors are scheduled to attend next week’s summit at the Beverly Hilton, along with representatives from several countries, including Brazil, China, and India.

  The summit takes place just a few weeks before many of its attendees are due in Poland for a United Nations-sponsored conference. The meeting in Poland is one in a series at which the international community is reconsidering the Kyoto Protocol, which set legally binding requirements for cutting greenhouse gases.

  The summit next week in Beverly Hills includes panels on big picture issues, like how greenhouse gas reductions are reported, and industry-specific topics, like how the transportation sector can reduce its effect on climate change.

  President-elect Barack Obama has said he intends to step up U.S. cooperation with international global warming efforts.

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  • November 14, 2008 6:18 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Ports delay collection of container fee intended for environmental program

  The Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach will not start collecting an environmental fee on containers Monday as planned. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has the story.

  Molly Peterson: When the Clean Trucks program began last month, harbor officials said they would delay dinging shipping companies $70 on the average cargo container. They said they needed to get a complicated tracking system on line to start collecting that money to replace or retrofit dirty diesel trucks.

  In the meantime, the program’s legal woes increased. First the trucking industry challenged the program, saying port officials overstepped by mandating cleaner trucks and new employment rules.

  Then the Federal Maritime Commission filed paperwork saying the program harms competition and could boost costs.

  Now Long Beach and L.A. officials say the container fee is on hold while the commission’s challenge plays out.

  Port of L.A. Executive Director Geraldine Knatz says the delay slows the goal of reducing harmful emissions that can cause respiratory illness and contribute to global warming. Harbor officials say they’re working to solve the maritime commission’s concerns. There’s no new date yet for container fee collection.

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  • November 14, 2008 6:12 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Firefighters battling California fire at wind's mercy

  By AMY TAXIN Associated Press Writer

  SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters were holding their own Friday against a wildfire that destroyed more than 100 homes in a wealthy, celebrity-studded enclave, but authorities warned that evening wind gusts could send the blaze on another destructive sprint.

  Much of the damage to homes and a small Christian college occurred Thursday night, but several more homes burned Friday in Montecito, a quaint and secluded area that has attracted celebrities such as Rob Lowe, Jeff Bridges, Michael Douglas and Oprah Winfrey. More than 1,000 firefighters worked to contain the blaze ahead of winds that were expected to pick up after sundown.

  “It’s not a time to relax,” said Santa Barbara County Deputy Fire Chief Tom Franklin. “Everybody’s got to be diligent through tonight. It’s the last evening of these wind events.”

  Franklin said more than 150 homes may have burned in the area and asked for patience from residents as crews try to catalog the devastation in remote hilly areas accessible only by winding roads.

  “We want to make sure the area is completely safe before we let people back in there,” Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Ron Prince said. “I have to beg, basically, for your patience.”

  At least 13 people were injured. A 98-year-old man with multiple medical problems died after being evacuated to a hotel, but it was unclear if his death was directly related to the blaze, Santa Barbara County Sheriff-Coroner Bill Brown said.

  \Blistering winds gusting to 70 mph, dry brush and oil-rich eucalyptus trees helped turn an ordinary brush fire into an exploding inferno that quickly consumed rows of luxury homes and part of Westmont College, where students spent the night in a gymnasium shelter.

  \The fire began about 6 p.m. Thursday before it chewed through multimillion-dollar homes whose shattered windows glowed like jack-o-lanterns as they blazed through the night.

  “That whole mountain over there went up at once. Boom,” said Bob McNall, 70, who with his son and grandson saved their home by hosing it down. “The whole sky was full of embers, there was nothing that they could do. It was just too much.”

  A state of emergency was declared in Santa Barbara County and about 5,400 homes were evacuated in Montecito, a town of 14,000 where Los Angeles-weary celebrities rub shoulders with friendly locals who have lived there for years.

  At least part of actor Christopher Lloyd’s property was damaged in the fire, the Los Angeles Times reported on its real estate blog. It said a Times reporter witnessed much of the “Back to the Future” actor’s eight-acre grounds in ruins, and that he was filming on location in Vancouver but a caretaker had fled the property. Lloyd’s agent had no comment Friday when contacted by The Associated Press, and messages left with his manager were not returned.

  Lowe, the actor, said he fled with his children as fire engulfed the mountain and flames shot 200 feet in the air. The family stopped to check on neighbors and found them trapped behind their automatic car gate, which was stuck because the power was out. Lowe said he helped get the big gates open.

  “Embers were falling. Wind was 70 miles an hour, easily, and it was just like Armageddon,” Lowe told KABC-TV. “You couldn’t hear yourself think.” Lowe said his house hadn’t burned.

  Fueled by vast stands of oil-rich eucalyptus trees - which exploded when lit - and decades of chaparral and other growth, the fire quickly spread to about 1,500 acres - more than 2 square miles - by Friday. Earlier the fire had been estimated to be about 2,500 acres, but the estimate was lower after better aerial mapping was conducted, said Prince, the city fire chief.

  Ten people were treated for smoke inhalation and three others had burns, said Michele Mickiewicz, a spokeswoman with the county emergency operations center. Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital reported receiving three patients with substantial burns.

  At Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts school, 1,000 students were evacuated. About 300 spent the night on cots in the gym. Some stood in groups praying; others sobbed openly and comforted each other.

  Flames chewed through a eucalyptus grove on the 110-acre campus and destroyed several buildings housing the physics and psychology departments, at least three dormitories and 14 faculty homes, college spokesman Scott Craig said.

  “I saw flames about 100 feet high in the air shooting up with the wind just howling,” he said.

  Beth Lazor, 18, said she was in her dorm when the alarm went off. She said she had time only to grab her laptop, phone, a teddy bear and a debit card before fleeing the burning building.

  Her roommate, Catherine Wilson, said she didn’t have time to get anything.

  “I came out and the whole hill was glowing,” Wilson said. “There were embers falling down.”

  Among those worried about their homes was talk show host Winfrey. During a taping Friday morning, she said the fire was about two miles from her house. Homes of her friends and neighbors were destroyed.

  “It’s not a good morning for us,” she said. “Some of my friends left their homes with only their dogs last night as I was calling, ‘Are you all right? Are you all right?’ They said, ‘We have the dogs and the kids aren’t here, so we’re OK.”’

  Evacuee Tom Bain relived the hellish scene after fleeing his home in five minutes with his three cats, some work files and a computer. On the way out, he saw at least six mansions on the ridge above his home explode in flames.

  “I saw $15 million in houses burn, without a doubt,” said the 54-year-old electrician. “They were just blowing up. It was really, intensely hot.”

  About 200 people spent the night at an evacuation center at a high school in nearby Goleta, but rest was out of the question for Ed Naha, a 58-year-old writer who feared he lost his home in the hills above Santa Barbara.

  “We are used to seeing smoke because we do have fires up here, but I’ve never seen that reddish, hellish glow that close,” Naha said. “I was waiting for Dante and Virgil to show up.”

  Flames had licked at the home of Gwen Dandridge, 61, and her husband Joshua Schimel, 51, but it was still standing when they returned Friday morning - something the couple attributed to lots of weed-whacking to clear the brush around the home.

  “We have a house! We have a house!” Dandridge shouted said as she first spied the home.

  Montecito, a quiet community known for its balmy climate and charming Spanish colonial homes, has long attracted celebrities.

  The landmark Montecito Inn was built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin, and the nearby San Ysidro Ranch was the honeymoon site of John F. Kennedy in 1953.

  Montecito suffered a major fire in 1977, when more than 200 homes burned. A fire in 1964 burned about 67,000 acres and damaged 150 houses and buildings.

  (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

  LINK: Updated Tea Fire Info (CA Dept of Forestry & Fire Protection)

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  • November 14, 2008 6:00 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Larry King hosts panel with national health experts on obesity

  Diabetes is affecting more obese children and Los Angeles County health care providers are trying to figure out what to do about it. USC’s Medical School held a panel discussion on the issue this morning. CNN’s Larry King moderated and KPCC’s Patricia Nazario brought back this report.

  Patricia Nazario: The prognosis is grim. L.A. Public Health numbers show one in five adults is obese. Panelists say that often means their kids’ll will be too.

  Larry King: With all the technological advancements we’ve made in so many areas…

  Nazario: That’s CNN’s Larry King.

  King: Couldn’t we make a hot fudge Sunday healthy? [audience laughs]

  Howard Kahn: There is a way to do it, which is to have it twice a year.

  Nazario: That’s panelist Howard Kahn who oversees four neighborhood clinics called L.A. Care Health Plan. Keck School of Medicine Dean Carmen Puliafito offers other interventions that can make a difference where kids spend most of their time - at school.

  Dean Carmen Puliafito: You can put gym back in school, change food kids get at school, and you can have ubiquitous nutritional information. Everybody needs to know what’s going on.

  Nazario: The panelists said 60 percent of children who develop Type II Diabetes are overweight or obese. They’re also at risk for other ailments, including heart disease.

  Larry King established a cardiac foundation that funds organ transplants for the underprivileged. Prevention is the key to saving kids from that fate say experts and it starts with better access to good health care.

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  • November 14, 2008 4:10 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Air Force Week kicks off in Southern California

  Air Force Week officially took off Friday in Hollywood… and special events are planned all week at various venues including Tinseltown, Pasadena, Canyon Country, and Long Beach. Dennis Long, president of “Wings Over Long Beach,” says mentors and counselors will be available for young people interested in joining the Force or working in aviation and aerospace.

  Dennis Long: “We’ve brought in the colleges, universities, trade schools, technical institutions that can provide them with the preparation to be ready when those opportunities come before them.”

  Long says this weekend, kids interested in becoming pilots can actually sit in the cockpit of a miniature F-16 jet fighter and zip down the runway at Long Beach airport without taking off. A B-52 bomber, giant C-17, and other planes will be on display. For more information, go to AirForceWeekLosAngeles.com.

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  • November 14, 2008 4:04 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Science/Technology

• Sacramento theater owner quits over Prop 8 support

  There’s been all sorts of political fallout from the passage of Proposition 8, which bans gay marriage in California. In Sacramento, it led to the resignation this week of the popular artistic director of the California Musical Theatre.

  Scott Eckern is a Mormon, and had given a thousand dollars to the Yes on 8 campaign. That touched off an uproar, and a number of artists had threatened to boycott the theatre. Adrienne Sher is an actor and director in Sacramento.

  Adrienne Sher: “It’s just terribly sad for everybody here. It’s divided the gay community, it’s divided the theater community, it’s divided all those who oppose Proposition 8. It’s just been a tragic situation here.”

  Sher spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Eckern said he decided to resign “to help the healing in the theater community.”

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  • November 14, 2008 4:01 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Politics/Public Affairs

• West Hollywood city councilman defends boycotts of businesses that donated to Prop 8

  Gay rights activists are calling for boycotts of businesses that gave money to the successful campaign to ban gay marriage in California. They’re even targeting businesses that had a manager who gave as little as a hundred dollars to Yes on 8. West Hollywood City Councilman John Duran says there’s nothing unfair about that.

  John Duran: “Boycotts are an age old institution in terms of civil rights movements, a tool that is in the arsenal that can be used when people are feeling political angst. So, I think that people probably should have thought about that as they were contributing to either side, that if you made a contribution over a hundred dollars it is reportable and people will know about it.”

  Duran spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Gay rights groups are planning large demonstrations for tomorrow throughout California and the nation.

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  • November 14, 2008 3:54 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Black lesbian criticizes gay rights activists

  The passage of Proposition 8 has created tension between the gay community and African-Americans. Some gay rights activists are critical of blacks who supported the ban on gay marriage. Jasmyne Cannick is a writer, and a black lesbian. She says the No on 8 campaign ignored African-Americans.

  Jasmyne Cannick: “It was a poorly run campaign. There was very little outreach into the African-American community. There was just about no work done with the black gay and lesbian community down here in Los Angeles to do that outreach work. And you know, so, you know you can’t turn around then on November 5th and want to start pointing fingers, and blaming communities, and then attacking those people.”

  Cannick spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Opponents of Prop 8 have filed lawsuits asking the courts to overturn the gay marriage ban.

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  • November 14, 2008 3:44 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• LAUSD imposes hiring freeze, other cutbacks

  Proposed state budget cuts have put California public schools in… a state. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says the L.A. Unified School District is imposing a hiring freeze and other measures to prepare for tighter times.

  Cheryl Devall: The school district expects to lose 200 to 300 million dollars from its budget if the state reduces education funding. Governor Schwarzenegger has urged the cuts to help close a potential $28 billion revenue gap.

  L.A. Unified deputy superintendent Ramon Cortinez is saying the district’s cuts are temporary for now. But in a system-wide memo he warned that some smaller campuses may have to close - and some jobs may have to go - if the state budget crisis persists.

  Cortines told administrators that the district will only purchase supplies for health, safety, school construction in progress, legal requirements, and the school lunch program.

  The spending freeze also prohibits L.A. Unified employees with district-issued credit cards from using them. Cortines told the L.A. Daily News that if the district doesn’t make the mid-year budget cuts, it won’t be able to make payroll soon.

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  • November 14, 2008 3:31 PM
  • Categories: Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Larry King hosts panel on obesity with national health experts

  Los Angeles County health care providers are struggling to address a growing epidemic: childhood and adult obesity.

  L.A. Public Health numbers show one in five adults is overweight.

  Howard Kahn with L.A. Care Health Plan was part of a USC panel discussion on the issue this morning.

  Howard Kahn: “Changing behavior is incredibly difficult and obesity is very complex. Part of what we have to get away from is that everybody should look like Barbie and Ken. Because, in fact, you don’t have to to be healthy.”

  Kahn’s network of neighborhood clinics serves nearly a million uninsured and underinsured residents of L.A. County.

  CNN’s Larry King moderated the panel. His Cardiac Foundation funds cardiac procedures for low-income patients.

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  • November 14, 2008 3:28 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Hundreds of Prop 8 supporters gather to denounce unruly protests against Prop 8

  A couple of hundred supporters of the successful ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage gathered in Santa Ana today to denounce a series of unruly protests against Proposition 8.

  KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has this report from Santa Ana.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Yes on Proposition 8 Chairman Ron Prentice told several hundred supporters gathered in a Santa Ana hotel ballroom that it was time to speak out about No on 8 protests.

  Ron Prentice: The mask of tolerance has been taken off from the opposition. Indeed the opposition has show their hypocrisy, they have shown their intolerance, they have show their own hatred, although their campaign was built on the very fact of claims toward us of those very things.

  Guzman-Lopez: A dozen key leaders who’d led the ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage stood behind Ron Prentice on the ballroom stage. They included Latino, black, and Muslim religious leaders from several Southland counties.

  Some chose more conciliatory words than Prentice. They denied harboring hatred towards gays and lesbians, and said people who support gay marriages should use legal means to express their displeasure at the recent vote.

  Prop 8 opponents did that outside the hotel. About 100 crowded sidewalks with signs at a busy intersection.

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  • November 14, 2008 3:25 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Supporters of Prop 8 criticize opposition's protest tactics

  Supporters of the voter-approved amendment to ban same-sex marriage in California are denouncing more than a week of demonstrations and boycotts over the passage of the law. Meg Waters of the Yes on 8 campaign told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that she appreciates the right to protest, but disapproves of certain tactics.

  Meg Waters: “Where we draw the line is when it gets into harassment, insults, and intimidation, and blacklisting and trying to do damage to people. We feel that is an act of terrorism towards people who, their only crime is to be involved in the political process.”

  Opponents to the marriage ban have boycotted the workplaces of some supporters, and they’re suspected of sending envelopes containing white powder to temples of the Mormon church, which encouraged its members to help pay for the Yes on 8 campaign. A narrow majority of Californians approved the ballot measure last week.

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  • November 14, 2008 3:21 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Governor appoints Southland bard as state poet laureate

  Governor Schwarzenegger has announced he’s appointed a Southland bard to serve as California’s next poet laureate.

  More on the story from KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: University of Southern California English professor Carol Muske-Dukes will be the state’s next top poet. Muske-Dukes has taught at USC for 20 years. She founded the university’s graduate writing program almost a decade ago.

  She’s written seven books of poetry. The most recent one, Sparrow, is a poetic meditation on marriage dedicated to her late husband, the actor David Dukes. Muske-Dukes has also written four novels. The most recent, Channeling Mark Twain, is based on her experience teaching writing to female inmates at New York’s Riker’s Island jail during the early 1970s.

  She’s an advocate for poetry in the classroom, as a literary critic and in frequent public readings. Carol Muske-Dukes will have two years to carry out that calling statewide as the new California poet laureate.

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  • November 14, 2008 3:15 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Tea Fire in Montecito catches some homeowners by surprise

  The Tea Fire in Montecito near Santa Barbara caught some homeowners by surprise last night. Deirdre Cannata says she hadn’t seen it coming.

  Deirdre Cannata: “Well I received a phone call from a friend of mine and says and if I needed some place to stay that her guest house was available. And I thought, ‘what are you talking about’? And she said turn on the news and then suddenly my, my, my, it was unbelievable, unbelievable.”

  The fire burned more than 100 homes and injured at least seven people. Firefighters are hoping to get a handle on it before strong winds kick up as expected this afternoon.

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  • November 14, 2008 1:38 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Santa Barbara fire burns over 100 homes overnight

  Firefighters in Santa Barbara are taking advantage of calmer winds today to attack a fire in the Montecito area. The fire – driven by more than 70-mile-hour gusts – burned more than 100 homes overnight. Santa Barbara Fire Chief Ron Prince says he’s trying to give some firefighters a rest.

  Ron Prince: “We’re running on empty right now, which is one of the key things we’re going to be dealing with over this next operational period… is to make sure we rotate crews through and keep people fresh. Because this situation is not over. We’re going to have a very tough day today of firefighting. When the winds pick up this afternoon, this is going to be incredibly challenging, and we’re not out of the woods by any stretch of the imagination.”

  Fire officials say seven people have been injured in the fire. Two have been sent to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks.

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  • November 14, 2008 1:35 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Fire forces more than 1,000 college students to shelter

  A fire in the Montecito area near Santa Barbara burned more than 100 homes and several buildings at Westmont College last night. More than 1,000 students were also forced to shelter in the school’s gymnasium. Two students spoke with KPCC’s Frank Stoltze.

  Mitchell Park: “My name is Mitchell Park. I study religious studies and I’m 18. It was horrible because the gym was filling up with smoke and you can see the flames outside at a point in time, and it was really bad. But then, like, people were praying and we were getting through it.”

  Andrew Corkle: “My name is Andrew Corkle. I am 19 years old. I’m a philosophy major. When the fire alarm went off we could see flames above campus. At no point did I actually see flames engulf a building. But there was a sense of imminent danger. I wasn’t scared. Everything was in God’s hands.”

  Westmont College is a Christian institution. Fire officials say the winds have calmed down, but they worry they’ll return this afternoon. Seven people have been hurt, including two who were sent to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks.

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  • November 14, 2008 1:34 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Prop 8 supporters speak out against protests

  A couple of hundred supporters of the successful state proposition to ban same-sex marriage gathered in Santa Ana today to denounce recent unruly protests against Proposition 8.

  KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story from Santa Ana.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Prop 8 supporters filled a ballroom at a Santa Ana hotel.

  Most had contributed time and money to help the same-sex marriage ban. They came from San Bernardino, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange County. Black, Latino, and Muslim religious leaders took the microphone in support of the amendment to the state constitution.

  Prop 8 organizer Ron Prentice welcomed the group by saying the recent protests have revealed the hypocrisy, intolerance, and hatred of Proposition 8 opponents.

  Prop 8 spokeswoman Sonya Eddings Brown took a more conciliatory tone. She said the only crime business people and other supporters of Prop 8 may have committed was taking part in an election.

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  • November 14, 2008 1:32 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Santa Barbara fire destroys dozens of homes

  Fire officials say at least 100 homes burned in Montecito and Santa Barbara overnight. Thousands of people remain evacuated from their homes as wind-whipped flames bore down on their neighborhoods. Melissa Marsted fled her home shortly after six last night.

  Melissa Marsted: “I was actually on a run with my son and we had gone up Coyote Road. It’s about half a mile to the top, and it was howling - just so, so windy! We were home 15 minutes and got a call. I look out my backyard - flames. Huge flames. And it’s far enough away that I felt like I had time to load up my car… I have an SUV. So my 13-year-old and I just went around the house and we got photographs, we got art, I got soccer trophies. We’ve lived here 15 years. We know there was always a danger. I actually have two storage containers in downtown Santa Barbara where we put things - mementos - so you know we’ve actually prepared for it.”

  Firefighters and water-dropping helicopters are taking advantage of calmer conditions today. But they caution that the winds could pick up again this afternoon. At least seven people have been hurt, including two who were sent to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks.

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  • November 14, 2008 1:29 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Montecito evacuee talks about wildfire

  One Montecito evacuee who can’t return home yet is Bruce Lyon. He’s the brother of “AirTalk” senior producer Linda Othenin-Girard.

  Lyon lives on Coyote Circle, close to where the fire started.

  Bruce Lyon:“There are eight houses on the circle. All the houses were still standing but our backyard was completely burned out up to within 2 feet of our houses. And it’s a very eerie feeling. There’s nobody around and you can see how the fire raged up to the house. And it’s obvious that whoever fought that fire fought a very good fight for us.”

  The fire also burned Lyon’s front yard, but it didn’t damage his home.

  Lyon and his wife stayed in a hotel last night. He says he’s not sure when they’ll be able to return home.

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  • November 14, 2008 11:38 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• Former assistant sheriff faces tough questioning in Carona corruption case

  The defense team in the federal corruption trial of former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona got its first crack at questioning the prosecution’s key witness Thursday afternoon. Former assistant sheriff Don Haidl has been on the stand for several days. KPCC’s Susan Valot, who’s been in the Santa Ana courtroom, says it’s the first time he’s faced tough questioning.

  Don Haidl:“Just to give you an idea of the tone that defense attorneys are setting for their cross-examination of Haidl – attorney Jeff Rawitz, who’s one of the people representing Carona, started out with the statement of, ‘I’d like to start out by talking about your skills as an actor.’”

  Haidl testified it was a “very difficult process” to get Carona to open up while he was secretly recording him. The defense attorneys implied that if he’d deceived Carona then, jurors could reasonably doubt he was telling the truth on the stand.

  The defense also suggested through a line of questioning that Haidl had a lot to gain by copping a plea deal in his own case in exchange for wearing a wire and testifying for the federal government.

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  • November 14, 2008 10:28 AM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Gay activists issue letter to supporters arguing against assigning blame for Prop 8 passing

  A group of gay and lesbian activists worry that some divisive tactics are hurting efforts to overturn Proposition 8. They issued a letter Thursday to supporters of the efforts to repeal a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. KPCC’s Brian Watt has more.

  Brian Watt: Leaders from groups like the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, and the Jordan Rustin Coalition called the days since the election a difficult time.

  They wrote that it’s natural to analyze a defeat - but that people on the losing side have tended to assign blame to specific “communities” - particularly African-Americans. An exit poll gauged support for the ban on same-sex marriage at 70 percent among black voters. But the letter says more recent polling has indicated that the margin was much closer.

  The fact, says the letter, is that 52 percent of all Californians supported Proposition 8, and the vast majority of those voters were not African-American.

  The letter goes on to note that 8 years ago, the similar Proposition 22 passed by 22 percentage points, so the gap between supporters and opponents of same-sex marriage has narrowed.

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  • November 14, 2008 10:20 AM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Schwarzenegger declares emergency for wildfire

  SACRAMENTO (AP) – Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proclaimed a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County, where a wildfire has destroyed more than 100 homes.

  The fire spread overnight to about 2,500 acres – nearly 4 square miles – prompting the city of Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara County to declare a local emergency. Officials there asked Schwarzenegger for a state declaration.

  The governor’s declaration on Friday dedicates state personnel and equipment to the firefighting effort. It also says the Federal Emergency Management Agency has agreed to give California a grant to help fight the fire.

  The wind-whipped blaze has forced thousands of residents to evacuate and has injured at least 13 people.

  (Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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  • November 14, 2008 10:03 AM
  • Categories: Environment

• 9th annual Latin Grammys held in Houston

  It’s a big awards night tonight for Latin music. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez reports.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: The ninth annual Latin Grammy awards are handed out in Houston tonight. The 49 categories include nominations for best rock, classical, children’s, and Christian music acts. Soprano saxophonist Kenny G is up for an award for his Rhythm & Romance album, an instrumental tour through Latin American music.

  Long Beach native Jenni Rivera is one of the few Southland acts nominated. She’s the only woman in the “Best Ranchero Album” category that’s dominated by very macho Mexican singers, including the legendary Vicente Fernandez and younger star Pepe Aguilar.

  Future L.A. Philharmonic conductor Gustavo Dudamel is nominated in the Best Classical Album category conducting the Venezuelan youth orchestra that introduced him to the world and got the attention of leaders of the L.A. Phil.

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  • November 13, 2008 4:34 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Long Beach Health and Human Services workers stage mock chemical spell as part of quake drill

  The Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services took part in today’s regional earthquake drill by evacuating employees from their two-story building and staging a mock chemical spill. Moniek Pointer’s in charge of the department’s emergency preparedness. She says this summer’s real earthquake was good practice.

  Moniek Pointer: “It was quite frightening. We had clients in the building. The building kinda rolled a little bit, made some loud noises, we’re up here on the second floor, a lot of people, at least half of our staff. So it was kinda frightening and we really realized then that a lot of people wanted to rush home to check on their families and their kids because they didn’t have anything in place.”

  Pointer says today’s drill is intended to emphasize the importance of planning ahead for disasters at work and at home. Administrators distributed disaster readiness pamphlets and quizzes in the parking lot after employees evacuated the building.

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  • November 13, 2008 4:27 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services workers participate in region-wide earthquake drill

  A region-wide quake drill compelled people and their employers today to think about their disaster readiness plans. Administrators at the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services evacuated a couple of hundred people to the building’s parking lot.

  Employees filled out a preparedness quiz and read a disaster plan pamphlet. Analyst Dale Worsham said this drill’s convinced him he needs to ask his family if they’re ready for a major disaster.

  Dale Worsham: “Having everybody out here and thinking about it. And having that questionnaire that we answered, you know, asking you, do you have this, do you have that. I think that was a really good thing. So I think I’m going to go home tonight and start devising a plan with my family.”

  Some employees said their workplace could also improve its evacuation planning and two-way radio communications.

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  • November 13, 2008 4:11 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Southland resident shares questions about how Obama will handle financial crisis

  Many people in the Southland are anticipating President-elect Barack Obama’s first day in office. Ricardo Montanez of the San Fernando Valley does question whether the federal rescue plan for financial and other industries will eventually force the next president to surrender to big business.

  Ricardo Montanez: “Will he get bought out, because there is the corporate side to everything? Right now the auto industry wants money. Who’s gonna come next? The credit card companies and whoever else is having problems, you know? He wants the money to flow towards the working class. We’ll see if that happens.”

  Montanez and his wife work full time. They’re raising two small children. He says they’re very concerned about the state of the economy.

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  • November 13, 2008 2:54 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Seismologists discuss aftershocks during earthquake simulation

  Kitty Felde: I’m Kitty Felde at Caltech in Pasadena where seismologists have just held a briefing for reporters talking about the latest aftershock. Of course, we’ve been looking all morning at the giant earthquake on the San Andreas fault, but in this simulation, we have just experienced a 7 magnitude quake down in the Imperial Valley near the Mexican border.

  And the news for Southern Californians is that this is the sort of thing we will be experiencing if we do have – or I should say when we do have a quake of that size. Aftershocks are likely to continue not just throughout the day, but for months and maybe even years to come after the initial shaking. I’m Kitty Felde at Caltech.

  Link: The Great Southern California ShakeOut

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  • November 13, 2008 2:45 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Economists promote fuel surcharge to keep gas close to $3 per gallon

  Gas prices continue to drop – the average price in the Southland hovers around 2.50 a gallon. But Severin Borenstein of the University of California Energy Institute figures there’s an advantage to boosting prices a little higher. He told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that he and other economists are promoting a fuel surcharge to keep the price of gasoline close to $3 a gallon.

  Severin Borenstein: “It has the dual advantage of raising a lot of revenue for the state so that it would make a big difference in the budget deficit and keeping people from going back to their old gas-guzzling ways.”

  Borenstein said a potential downside to lower gas prices is that they could discourage Californians from buying more fuel-efficient cars. That could hurt the state’s effort to cut greenhouse gases.

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  • November 13, 2008 2:42 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Seismology professor explains how bad damage from massive earthquake would be in LA and Orange counties

  Just how bad would damage be from a massive earthquake on the San Andreas fault? KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde says that depends on where you are when the quake hits.

  Kitty Felde: The scenario for the Great Southern California Shakeout was a 7.8 magnitude quake with an epicenter about 20 miles from Palm Springs. Caltech Seismology Professor Tom Heaton says that’s like putting 40 Northridge quakes end to end. Homes and businesses in the Inland Empire would be extensively damaged. But what about L.A. and Orange County?

  Tom Heaton: We would guess that many of our wooden houses might ride through this fairly well, although there’s going to be a lot of damage to the houses. But we don’t anticipate a lot of collapses. For our taller buildings, they’ve never experienced an earthquake of this type before really anywhere in the world. And for some of our older concrete taller buildings, I’m sure emergency managers have their work cut out for them.

  Felde: The mantra to remember wherever you are when the real big one hits: drop, cover, and hold on.

  Link: The Great Southern California ShakeOut

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  • November 13, 2008 2:26 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Average price of gas in LA County down 21 cents over past week

  The average price of gas continues to fall in Los Angeles County. The Auto Club says the average price is now $2.52 – that’s 21 cents cheaper than a week ago. The gas price declines have followed the dropping price of oil.

  Severin Borenstein heads the University of California Energy Institute. He told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that lower demand is one reason prices are falling.

  Severin Borenstein: “Over the last few years we have had a very tight refining market in California. That actually started to disappear before the downturn in oil prices. Actually with the big spike in oil prices over the last year or so, people have started to cut back on their driving. In California, demand for gasoline has been down between 5 and 10 percent. That’s enough to take a lot of pressure off of the refining industry.”

  Borenstein says the country’s refining industry has more extra capacity now than several years ago – so refineries are making little or no money producing gasoline. Borenstein says the worldwide economic downturn factors into lower gas prices, too.

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  • November 13, 2008 2:22 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Long Beach Health and Human Services workers participate in region-wide earthquake drill

  Today’s region-wide Great Shakeout drill reminded millions of people we live in big quake country. It also reminded many people that they need to plan better to survive a major earthquake.

  KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: A couple of hundred workers at the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services ducked under their desks at 10 this morning and evacuated the two-story building minutes later.

  In the scripted simulation no one was hurt and the building didn’t suffer any damage. But the shaking caused a simulated nitric acid spill, cleaned up by the department’s in-house hazardous materials crew.

  In the parking lot, workers received emergency planning pamphlets and filled out written evaluations of how their department handled the drill. Some said it was flawless. Others said it was a bit disorganized and radio communications needed improvement. The workplace drill pushed some to worry about the little they’d done at home to prepare for a major disaster.

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  • November 13, 2008 12:35 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Iranian government prohibits grad student from returning to US

  A Southland graduate student briefly detained in Iran was the subject of a candleight vigil last night at Cal State Northridge. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario reports that students and faculty there rallied for the speedy return of Esha Momemi.

  Patricia Nazario: Most of the group gathered on the lawn outside the main campus library wore white t-shirts with big red letters that read “Release Esha.”

  One of Momemi’s friends took the microphone in front of the crowd and recited some of the student’s verse in English.

  [“The poem is called, ‘Dear Eve.’”]

  Nazario: The 28-year-old mass communications graduate student was born in the United States. She also claims citizenship in her parents’ homeland, Iran. She was there to record video interviews with activists in the Iranian women’s movement when authorities arrested her last month.

  Momemi’s free on bail now, but the Iranian government will not let her leave the country. Friend and fellow Iranian Sudi Faroknia said supporters have launched an online campaign in the hope it’ll persuade Iran to let Momemi come home.

  Sudi Faroknia: The way the campaign as worked is it’s been an approach from the bottom up. So, we thought the request needs to come from the people.

  Nazario: Momemi is scheduled to complete her master’s degree and graduate from Cal State Northridge in June.

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  • November 13, 2008 10:41 AM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Southern California residents participate in massive earthquake drill

  The big one is coming tomorrow. At least, millions of people in the Southland plan to act like it. Scientists and emergency officials are collaborating with companies, schools, hospitals, and other institutions in the Great Southern California Shakeout – a major earthquake-preparedness drill. Lucy Jones of the U.S. Geological Survey told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” what to expect at 10 o’clock in the morning.

  Lucy Jones: “This is a virtual picture of a magnitude 7.8 here for Southern California. We are asking all of Southern California to pretend tomorrow morning that the big one has finally hit and to, to embrace it. We are asking people to sign up to be part of a drill where we will practice ‘drop, cover, and hold on.’”

  Jones is the scientist in charge of the geological survey’s earthquake hazards team. For more information about tomorrow’s giant drill, go online to Shakeout.org.

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  • November 12, 2008 5:19 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Congressman Sherman reacts to Treasury Secretary Paulson redirecting federal bailout

  The $700 billion financial rescue plan will not help buy bad loans, U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson has announced. Instead, the federal government plans to assist banks, credit card companies, and other businesses in ways that don’t involve buying distressed assets. Southland Congressman Brad Sherman opposed the initial plan as too hasty. He told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that Paulson should have listened to his critics.

  Brad Sherman: “And now, a month later, the only thing he’s going to do is the exact thing that many of us we were trying to get him to do, and that he testified he wouldn’t do. And the idea of buying bad bonds, which was the only thing he wanted to do, he hasn’t done a penny of and has now announced he won’t do.”

  Congressional leaders plan to convene hearings on diverting at least some of the bailout package to the ailing auto industry. Lawmakers are meeting in a lame-duck session next week.

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  • November 12, 2008 5:06 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Supreme Court upholds Navy's right to conduct submarine sonar training, despite concerns from environmental groups

  In a 5-4 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the U.S. Navy’s right to conduct submarine training exercises using sonar. Environmental groups had sued the federal government, saying that the deep-sea communication devices can harm whales and dolphins. Timothy Ragen of the nonprofit Marine Mammal Commission described the environmentalists’ case against sonar to KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  Timothy Ragen: “There are a number of ways that it might affect marine mammals. For example, it could be so loud that it masks other sounds that the marine mammals need to hear in order to carry out their natural functions. It could cause them to change their behavior in ways that might be significant, if it affects their ability to reproduce or survive. In some cases it may cause physiological responses to them, and in other cases it might lead to injury or death.”

  The court ruled that the national security benefits of Naval sonar training exercises off the California coast supersede the interest of marine mammals.

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  • November 12, 2008 5:04 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Environment

• Anti-Defamation League gives posthumous award to 'Mexican Schindler'

  The Anti-Defamation League’s holding its annual meeting in Los Angeles this weekend. For 95 years the group has denounced anti-Semitism and bigotry. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez says that at this meeting it’s honoring a man many people call the “Mexican Schindler.”

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Austrian businessman Oskar Schindler saved more than a thousand Jews from Nazi concentration camps during World War II. In France, at around the same time, Mexican diplomat Gilberto Bosques Saldivar secured exit visas for several thousand Jewish refugees trying to escape Nazi-occupied Europe.

  Fifteen years ago the Anti-Defamation League awarded Schindler its Courage to Care award. At this weekend’s meeting the organization will posthumously honor Bosques Saldivar with the same award. His daughter’s set to travel to L.A. to receive it.

  Bosques Saldivar continued in Mexico’s diplomatic corps for decades. He served in Portugal and in Cuba during a tumultuous period. Four years before the 1959 Cuban Revolution, Bosques Saldivar helped two jailed political dissidents – the brothers Raul and Fidel Castro – obtain exit visas to Mexico.

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  • November 12, 2008 4:58 PM
  • Categories: History

• Environmentalists and legal scholars react to US Supreme Court ruling on Navy submarine training

  Environmentalists and legal scholars are reacting to today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allows the U.S. Navy to continue submarine training exercises that use sonar. Environmental groups had sued the federal government, claiming that the deep-sea communication devices harm marine mammals. Holly Doremus, a professor at UC Davis law school, told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that the anti-sonar groups may need to sharpen the focus of their arguments.

  Holly Doremus: “I think the executive branch could control this as it, as it, sees necessary. If the president says to the military, no you don’t need to perform these exercises, that’s his or her prerogative. So, it’s not that the military operates without control, it’s that the courts, in this case, can’t exercise this particular type of control. It would have to come from the executive branch or through Congress.”

  Doremus says the high court may have ruled more about what the Navy needs than about whether the plaintiffs were right when they claimed that sonar hurts whales and dolphins.

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  • November 12, 2008 4:34 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Environment

• Key witness testifies that former OC sheriff was 'for sale'

  Prosecutors hope to wrap up their questioning of former Orange County assistant sheriff Don Haidl by tomorrow. Haidl’s the star witness in the public corruption trial of former sheriff Mike Carona.

  Today Haidl testified that Carona and assistant sheriff George Jaramillo came into office with “‘for sale’ signs on them.” KPCC’s Susan Valot was in the federal courtroom. She says Haidl also testified about how the sheriff and his assistant intervened in the sexual assault case of Haidl’s son, Greg, six years ago.

  Susan Valot: “Haidl said Carona told him he’d act as the ‘go-between’ between the older Haidl and the Orange County District Attorney’s office. Haidl says Jaramillo went to talk to D.A. Tony Rackauckas about the case and ticked him off… which Haidl says Rackauckas took as a threat. Rackauckas called federal investigators.”

  Don Haidl detailed how the whole thing began to implode. Eventually, Carona fired Jaramillo, even though Haidl said the former sheriff was concerned that Jaramillo would tell the story to the news media. Haidl said he told Carona that firing Jaramillo was “going to burn the forest down with all of the houses in it.”

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  • November 12, 2008 4:31 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Former OC assistant sheriff testifies in Carona corruption trial

  Federal prosecutors say they probably won’t rest their corruption case against former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona until the week after Thanksgiving. KPCC’s Susan Valot says their key witness, former Assistant Sheriff Don Haidl, testified today about giving his used – but mint-condition – ski-boat to Carona on his birthday seven years ago.

  Susan Valot: “Haidl says Carona gave Haidl a $5,000 check and Haidl reimbursed the then-sheriff in cash so Carona wouldn’t have to report the boat as a gift. Prosecutors played a taped conversation between Haidl and Carona. In it, the two talk about how they’d handle the boat situation. Haidl described the tape as Carona manufacturing a story they would both tell.”

  Haidl also testified about how Carona helped out his two sisters and his son, Greg Haidl, who was convicted of a sexual assault that happened six years ago. In that case, Haidl testified, Carona told him that he would act as a “go-between,” to help him “negotiate something” with prosecutors.

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  • November 12, 2008 3:30 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA County supervisors vote to join lawsuit challenging Prop 8

  Los Angeles County supervisors are on record against Proposition 8, the voter-approved measure that prohibits same-sex marriages in California. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has more on today’s vote to join a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the ballot question.

  Cheryl Devall: Supervisors Gloria Molina and Zev Yaroslavsky indicated shortly after last week’s vote that they wanted to add their voices to the anti-Prop 8 lawsuit by the City of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Clara County. Both L.A. County supervisors had officiated at same-sex weddings after a state Supreme Court ruling legalized them last spring.

  By a narrow margin, California voters overrode that court decision and approved an amendment to the state constitution that makes the weddings illegal again. Yaroslavsky and Molina spoke about their disappointment over that vote, and their determination that the county join the lawsuit.

  Two of the five Los Angeles County supervisors were absent from the vote to join. Michael Antonovich was traveling, and Don Knabe left the meeting as a dozen speakers prepared to endorse the challenge. That left the deciding vote to Supervisor Yvonne Burke. She’s in the final weeks of her fourth term on the board.

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  • November 12, 2008 3:27 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Cal State Fullerton economist says Obama should prioritize stabilizing the financial markets

  President-elect Barack Obama is getting lots of expert advice on how to proceed once he moves into the Oval Office. Cal State Fullerton economist Anil Puri says tops on the agenda should be stabilizing the financial markets by building on what the Bush administration and Congress have already done.

  Anil Puri: “The government has taken a lot of action, which will lead to stability. It requires international cooperation and it requires a little bit of luck. Yes, things will get better. It’s a question of how bad they’re to get before they get better and how long it will take.”

  Puri says the new president also needs to work with Congress to craft new “rules of the game” for financial markets – so the economy doesn’t end up in the same mess again.

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  • November 12, 2008 2:59 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• State Finance Department deputy director says lawmakers will quickly response to state legislative analyst's projection

  The state legislative analyst’s projection that California’s budget gap may grow to $28 million is going to require a pretty quick response from lawmakers, H.D. Palmer of the state finance department told KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

  H.D. Palmer: “Clearly, there are very, extremely difficult decisions that are going to have to be made, and fairly soon. I think if there is one word to take out of the legislative analyst report that was issued yesterday, it’s very simple one: now. We need to act immediately to be able to start addressing this situation before it gets worse and before the solutions we put on the table get even more difficult.”

  Palmer said those solutions will help ensure enough cash reserves to get the state through the next fiscal year. The governor has proposed raising taxes and fees, and cutting some state services, to address a potential budget gap that’s more than doubled from previous estimates.

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  • November 12, 2008 1:54 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• State legislative analyst examines governor's proposal for tax increase and service cuts

  Just when you thought California’s budget problems were bad, word comes that they’re worse than anyone expected. State Legislative Analyst Mac Taylor predicts a $28 billion deficit if lawmakers don’t address the problem this fiscal year and next. Taylor’s office examined the governor’s proposal for tax increase and service cuts to close the budget gap.

  Mac Taylor: “Well, we think generally speaking, the governor has put out a good framework for approaching the problem, but we do have some comments. For example, on his one-and-a-half cent sales tax proposal, if the legislature were to adopt that, the state would then have the highest average sales tax rate in the country.”

  Taylor told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that he’s concerned many California consumers may try to get around the sales tax hike by shopping on the Internet.

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  • November 12, 2008 1:33 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Southland group home counselor talks about Obama administration

  Many people in the Southland harbor high hopes for the administration of Barack Obama. Ricardo Montanez of the San Fernando Valley says he’d like the 44th president to help end corruption at the highest levels of government.

  Ricardo Montanez: “Hopefully, like he says, it’s a more practical approach to running things. No more cronyism and secret agendas.”

  Montanez is a group home counselor for United Cerebral Palsy. He and his wife, who also works full-time, are bringing up a family. He says they’re also very concerned about the state of the economy.

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  • November 12, 2008 1:29 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Center for Automotive Research's David Cole says automakers need governmental help

  As General Motors, Chrysler, and Ford report billions of dollars in losses for the most recent quarter, policymakers and President-elect Obama are arguing for a federal rescue plan for the American auto industry. David Cole of the Center for Automotive Research agrees that the automakers need help.

  David Cole: “If you take a GM out or a Ford out because of the fragility that already exits in the supply network, what it does is that it takes the entire industry down. And that’s where you get the problem that grows so quickly out of dramatic proportion.”

  By some estimates, the demise of GM, Ford, and Chrysler would remove 7 million jobs from the domestic economy. Opponents to the idea of a federal bailout for the Detroit-based auto companies say they’re just trying to ride the same gravy train as many troubled financial institutions.

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  • November 11, 2008 5:10 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Cato Institute's Ikenson says financial aid for automakers would be a bad idea

  Along with financial institutions, the American auto industry is seeking rescue from the federal government. During their first one-on-one meeting this week, President-elect Barack Obama reportedly asked President George Bush to consider aid for Detroit automakers. That would be a bad idea, Dan Ikenson of the libertarian Cato Institute told KPCC.

  Dan Ikenson: “I think that the auto industry has been preparing for this day for a long day. This day I mean to make this lobbying pitch. They seem to want you to believe that it’s the financial crisis and the credit crunch that explains their situation. That is not the whole story. This has to do with a lot of bad decisions they made, bad capitulations to the unions that made their cost structure relatively uneconomic.”

  Ikenson, of Cato’s Center for Trade Policy Studies, maintains that the industry’s defenders are exaggerating when they say the shutdown of General Motors would eliminate 3 million American jobs.

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  • November 11, 2008 5:06 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Congresswoman Solis releases Veterans Day message including names of recent war dead

  Among the Veterans Day tributes today was a message from Congresswoman Hilda Solis that included the names of recent war dead from East L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley. KPCC’s Nick Roman says if you examine that list closely, you’ll get a sense of what war’s about.

  Nick Roman: It’s often about bad luck away from battle – Marine Corporal Rudy Salas of Baldwin Park was killed in a vehicle crash in Iraq four years ago. Army Specialist Marisol Heredia of El Monte died last year, an agonizing 50 days after she’d suffered bad burns in an accident. She was 19.

  Army Sergeant First Class Kelly Bolor was 37 when he died. The Army reservist from Whittier was one of 17 soldiers killed five years ago when two helicopters collided above the Iraqi town of Mosul.

  The East L.A. and San Gabriel Valley war dead also reflect the tactics of war. Army Sergeant Atanasio Haro-Marin of Baldwin Park died five years ago in a firefight at an Iraqi checkpoint. Army Private First Class Chad Trimble of Covina was killed last May by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan.

  And then there’s Marine Lance Corporal Manuel Ceniceros, who was killed in battle in Iraq four years ago. He’d been saving up for a wedding at East L.A.’s Our Lady of Solitude Catholic Church. They held his funeral there instead.

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  • November 11, 2008 4:21 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Federal Housing Finance Agency launches plan to renegotiate hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans

  Help may be on the way for homeowners who’ve fallen behind on their mortgages. The Federal Housing Finance Agency and the mortgage industry launched a plan today to help renegotiate hundreds of thousands of delinquent loans from guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Thomas Davidoff, who specializes in real estate at UC Berkeley’s business school, explained how this help for homeowners might work.

  Thomas Davidoff: “Rather than going into foreclosure, these somewhat federal entities and any participating lenders in the private sector are going to say, ‘OK, we’re going to stretch out your payments.’ And they’re either going to do it by cutting the amount you owe directly, which I think they’re not going to do in most cases. What I think they’re going to do is cut the interest rate, or say, ‘rather than 30 years, you gotta pay this loan off in 40 or 50.”

  Davidoff spoke with KPCC after Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae – guarantors of about half the country’s mortgage loans – announced plans to assist people who are at least 90 days behind on their payments. The program could help about 300,000 homeowners.

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  • November 11, 2008 3:53 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Poor economy forces shoppers to find substitutes for holiday gifts

  The grim economy’s pushing some people to find substitutes for gifts this coming holiday season. More on the story from KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: The automatic teller machine – not the stores – drew Hoa Combs of Lakewood to the entrance of the Cerritos Mall on Veterans Day.

  Hoa Combs: Because our economy’s so bad and I don’t think I go shopping this year at all.
  Guzman-Lopez: Why?
  Combs: Why? Because I want to cook them some food, better. You know, I cook them good food, you know, maybe small gift.

  Guzman-Lopez: Her specialty is Vietnamese egg rolls. It’s been a tough spell for Combs. Her husband of three decades, a U.S. Air Force pilot who brought her from Vietnam in the 1970s, died last year.

  She says the $1,500 monthly military pension she receives leaves her with little disposable income. That’s one reason she’s concentrating on a longtime goal – she’s enrolled to earn her high school diploma.

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  • November 11, 2008 3:47 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Veterans Day shopper makes tough decision to provide for family

  Recession or no, shoppers are making their way to Southland malls for Veterans Day sales. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez talked with one at the Cerritos Mall.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: This is a day for Kamel Walia to do some holiday shopping for his high school age son. He’s checking out the basketball shoes. Walia’s an information technology manager who works from contract to contract.

  He’s been out of work for six months. But his family still has a little money to spend. That’s because he and his wife have put some money away – and have made a tough decision about work this year.

  Kamel Walia: There was an opportunity that came for my wife to get a job in India for a two-year contract and I thought, this is a little safer bet. So at least my wife works, she works overseas, so in terms of that at least one of us will always have a job.

  Guzman-Lopez: Walia says his family is making do. His daughter’s a junior at UCLA and his son is set to graduate from high school in a couple of years.

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  • November 11, 2008 1:59 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education

• Ceremony held to honor World War II Women Air Force Service Pilots

  Across the Southland, people are remembering veterans today. At the Proud Bird restaurant near L.A. International Airport, retired history teacher Pat Macha helped organize a ceremony to honor World War II Women Air Force Service Pilots – or WASPs. Macha says it has taken generations for many people to recognize these women’s wartime service.

  Pat Macha: “And that’s often the way it is in history. We look back, and we say wait a minute, what about these people? We forgot about this group. We forgot about our Tuskeegee Airmen. We forgot about our Navajo code talkers We forgot about our Nisei Americans, the 332nd regimental combat team. We forgot about the WASPS. But they all are being remembered now, and that is so very important.”

  Thirty-eight WASPs – who flew military planes in non-combat situations – died during World War II.

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  • November 11, 2008 1:57 PM
  • Categories: History

• Providence-Holy Cross hospital execs appeal to city council to greenlight expansion

  The building expansion project at Providence-Holy Cross Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley is hitting some roadblocks, because hospital officials began it without completing a full environmental impact report.

  Hospital executive Kerry Carmody says no area hospital has ever met that standard. He says Providence-Holy Cross has already filed other environmental reports about its construction plans.

  Kerry Carmody: “To then ask, after its been approved by planning commission, for us to go back and do something more when the city never asked us to do that to begin with, we think is singling us out, and it’s totally unfair.”

  The hospital’s 136-bed expansion project secured approval from Los Angeles city officials last year. But an L.A. superior court judge declared the process flawed and ordered the work to stop.

  Hospital officials say that producing the report would delay the 120,000 square foot expansion by almost two years, and would cost millions of dollars.

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  • November 11, 2008 1:53 PM
  • Categories: Health

• African-Americans may have supported Prop 8 less than exit poll showed

  There is a dispute over the extent to which African-Americans supported Proposition 8, the measure that bans same-sex marriage in California. A national exit poll suggested that 70 percent of blacks in California voted for the measure.

  But another poll by the Center for the Study of L.A. found in Los Angeles, just over half of blacks supported Prop 8. Fernando Guerra directs the center at Loyola Marymount University. He told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that he doubts black opposition to the measure was as large as has been reported.

  Fernando Guerra: Seventeen-and-a-half percent of all blacks in state of California live and vote in city of L.A. – so neither one of ours could be correct because for us to get only 52 percent – and statewide 70 percent, all blacks outside the city of Los Angeles would have had to support that proposition by 75 percent, so it makes it even higher.”

  Guerra is a board member of Southern California Public Radio. His center conducted exit polls last Tuesday in L.A. neighborhoods with large numbers of black voters.

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  • November 11, 2008 12:49 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Top banking executive says Obama has talented economic advisers

  The economy will be a top priority for President-elect Barack Obama when he takes office in January. Joseph Otting is vice chairman of U.S. Bank. He’s based in Los Angeles. Otting attributes the economic crisis in part to a lack of confidence.

  Joseph Otting: “Confidence in leadership, confidence in the executive branch, confidence in Congress, confidence in the economy. And I think what the new president can do is he can bring a group of people together that collectively can say, ‘We’re going to fix the economic issues,’ no matter what social or economic area, and how do we rally that together with the full faith of the U.S. government to get the economy back on track.”

  Otting says Senator Obama has assembled a “really fantastic” group of economic advisers who know their stuff inside and out.

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  • November 11, 2008 12:24 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA County sheriff touts marijuana bust

  Law enforcement has found quite a bit of marijuana on public lands this year, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca told reporters. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze has more.

  Frank Stoltze: Baca says authorities have seized 360,000 pot plants on public land in Los Angeles County this year. The plants could have yielded as much as 140 tons of marijuana. The sheriff said that amount represented a “major increase” over similar seizures last year. He didn’t provide figures for 2007.

  Authorities say they found most of the pot farms in the Angeles National Forest and other rural areas. They suspect the farms are the work of criminals connected to Mexican drug cartels. Police have said a portion of the pot likely ends up at some of the hundreds of medical marijuana dispensaries that operate in the Southland.

  The sheriff says the farms are dangerous; often, growers are armed. He also says they present a threat to the environment because growers haul gallons of herbicides, gasoline, and other chemicals into remote areas where they clear space to grow pot.

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  • November 10, 2008 7:27 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Catholic group calls for withholding offerings once a month due to handling of clergy sex abuse scandal

  A small group of Roman Catholics called “Send the Bishops a Message” wants to do just that. KPCC’s Brian Watt explains that the new organization plans to employ the power of the purse.

  Brian Watt: The group accuses the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church of failing to protect children from clergy sexual abuse – and of continuing to cover it up. Frank Douglas, a spokesman for the group, called on all parishioners to hang onto their financial contributions once a month on designated “Withholding Sundays.”

  Frank Douglas: They can send a message by doing nothing. All they have to do is pass the collection plate to the next guy without putting anything in. It’s the perfect Catholic passive resistance activity.

  Watt: His group says that although Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony approved a $660 million settlement with sex abuse victims, he continues to keep secret church files he’d agreed to hand over to the victims’ attorneys.

  L.A. Archdiocese spokesman Todd Tamberg says Mahony is following a procedure for releasing those files that both sides had approved. Tamberg questioned the wisdom of a campaign to limit donations.

  Todd Tamberg: This is a very bad idea at a very bad time.

  Watt: Tamberg says that Catholics support a network of social service agencies handling a surge in need during the economic crisis.

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  • November 10, 2008 5:48 PM
  • Categories: Religion/Spirituality

• LA community colleges observe Veterans Day early

  Veterans Day traditionally falls on the eleventh day of the eleventh month. But for some students, the holiday’s today. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde explains.

  Kitty Felde: If you’re a student at the University of California or one of the Cal State campuses, the official observance of the Veteran’s Day holiday is tomorrow. Same goes for elementary, middle, and high school students in the L.A. Unified School District. And banks. And libraries. And government buildings.

  But if you’re taking classes at one of L.A.’s community colleges, Monday, not Tuesday, is observed as Veterans Day. So don’t be surprised if you show up for your patternmaking class Monday night to find the doors locked.

  Classes will resume at community colleges tomorrow. One other note: if you were hoping for a holiday from bad economic news, no such luck. The New York Stock Exchange will be open as usual all week.

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  • November 10, 2008 5:22 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Roman Catholic group calls on fellow Catholics to protest church handling of clergy sex abuse

  Some Roman Catholics are dissatisfied with the way the church’s hierarchy is handling the issue of clergy sex abuse. A small new group of parishioners calls itself “Send the Bishops a Message” and wants to do just that.

  It’s urging others around the world to withhold financial contributions to the Roman Catholic Church once a month – beginning this Sunday. Spokesman Frank Douglas spoke with reporters today outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of The Angels.

  Frank Douglas: “Bishops are still protecting pedophile priests, and what we want to is let the laity know. We want to empower them and give them knowledge that they are not powerless. They fund this church. Ninety-nine percent of the people in the church are lay people and they fund 100 percent of the costs of the church. “

  A spokesman for the Los Angeles Archdiocese calls the campaign a bad idea during harsh economic times when there’s a great need for the social services that Catholics support.

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  • November 10, 2008 3:53 PM
  • Categories: Religion/Spirituality

• NASA loses contact with Phoenix Mars Lander

  This just in from Mars today. The Phoenix Lander is probably kaput. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde has the story.

  Kitty Felde: NASA’s Phoenix Lander has been exploring the polar region of Mars for five months. But about two weeks ago, a freak dust storm blotted out enough of the sun that the solar panels couldn’t recharge the Lander’s batteries.

  Barry Goldstein, project manager at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, says Phoenix stopped communicating with Earth – and with the orbiters around the red planet – more than a week ago.

  Barry Goldstein: We believe based on that and the fact that the dust level at our landing site is significantly high, that the possibilities of regaining contact with the vehicle are extremely low, and so we basically believe Phoenix has ended its operational phase.

  Felde: NASA scientists are pleased with the Lander’s performance. It discovered ice at the landing site, took more than 25,000 pictures, and found clues that indicate liquid water existed on the red planet. NASA will continue to try to contact the Phoenix Lander through the end of the month.

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  • November 10, 2008 3:15 PM
  • Categories: Science/Technology

• National Review deputy editor says Republicans face voter impressions of incompetence, scandal

  Now that the dust has settled from last week’s presidential election, conservatives are reflecting on what the Republican Party can do to recover from its defeat. National Review deputy editor Kevin Williamson said voter perception had a lot to do with the election result.

  Kevin Williamson: “Some of the problems the Republicans face – and maybe the main problem they face – isn’t really philosophical or ideological at all. It’s an impression that they’ve been incompetent, and it’s an impression that they’ve been plagued by scandal.”

  Williamson told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that the corruption convictions of former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff and Alaska Senator Ted Stevens helped tarnish the Republicans’ reputation as the party of fiscal responsibility and moral leadership.

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  • November 10, 2008 3:13 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• 'Great Southern California Shakeout' earthquake drill takes place Thursday

  Over 5 million people will practice their disaster survival skills this Thursday during the Great Southern California Shakeout. It’s a simulated “big one” on the San Andreas fault designed to let emergency professionals and every southern Californian find out how prepared they are for a major quake. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde explains how the Shakeout evolved.

  Kitty Felde: The U.S. Geological Survey wanted find out how hazard science might improve a community’s resilience to natural disasters. Like earthquakes.

  So the agency met with emergency managers, land use planners, and private companies and asked how science could help them do their jobs better. Seismologist Lucy Jones, chief scientist for the Multi-Hazard Initiative, says the answers surprised her.

  Lucy Jones: We want a scenario of what the disasters are really going to be like. We’re trying to plan for something and we don’t know what we’re planning for. If we’re gonna plan for it, we need to know what it really is.

  Felde: So the Geological Survey examined transportation patterns, electrical transmission towers, the aqueduct system, and more to find out what would be disrupted if a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit Southern California. On Thursday morning at 10, that pretend quake hits. You can be part of the response. To find out how, go online to shakeout.org.

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  • November 10, 2008 1:38 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• California superintendent O'Connell objects to governor's proposed tax cuts

  The gatekeepers of state agencies continue to object to Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to close an $11 billion budget gap. Jack O’Connell, California’s superintendent of public instruction, warns of big problems this school year if lawmakers approve the cuts.

  Jack O’Connell: “We’re operating on a bare bones budget today, and in the middle of the year, for the governor to propose midyear cuts, these unexpected cuts, when we’re down to about half of that, the fiscal year remaining now – it’s just unrealistic based upon the budget that was passed last year.”

  O’Connell spoke on KPCC’s “AirTalk.” The governor’s convened a special legislative session to work out a solution to the budget crisis.

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  • November 10, 2008 1:17 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Retired Army colonel talks of contribution of bilingual veterans at Vietnam battle

  A feature film several years ago depicted Navajo troops who safeguarded secret maneuvers by “Code talking” during World War II. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez spoke with a Vietnam War veteran about another group’s linguistic contributions in battle.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Forty years ago Bill Negron was a U.S. Army captain in charge of more than 160 troops in Vietnam.

  Bill Negron: This particular battle in 1968, the young Hispanics saved our butt. I am fluent in Spanish. Soy puertoriqueño. And we had a patrol go out and were ambushed, and the North Vietnamese got their radio. So I thought that was kind of dangerous if they knew what we were doing.

  Guzman-Lopez: And he had to get his men out of that dangerous area.

  Negron: I didn’t want to communicate in English so I told everybody to get me somebody from L.A. or Tex-Mex or Puerto Rican, or somebody, get them on the radio, and we communicated for three or four days in Spanish.

  Guzman-Lopez: The remains of one soldier killed during that battle, Luis Palacios, were found and identified last year in Vietnam. Palacios was listed for nearly 40 years as missing in action. Negron traveled to Southern California last week to attend Palacios’s burial in Cypress.

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  • November 10, 2008 12:57 PM
  • Categories: History

• LA Marathon moves to Memorial Day in 2009

  For close to a quarter-century, the annual Los Angeles marathon has pounded the streets on a Sunday in March. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says: runners – mark your calendar for Memorial Day from now on.

  Cheryl Devall: When much of the rest of the country is still in a deep freeze, the L.A. Marathon showcased the Southland’s climatic and cultural warmth for 25,000 runners and tens of thousands more race supporters and fans.

  Last month Going the Distance – a race operator launched by Dodgers’ owner Frank McCourt – acquired the rights to run the event. The marathon’s new organizers say that they want to respond to many requests to move the race to a Monday holiday – and that they ran into problems with their earlier announced date change, to President’s Day on February 16th.

  The Memorial Day weekend in May will allow them to create a better runner’s experience, race organizers told the Los Angeles Times. They made the switch after consulting with athletes, volunteers, and charity organizations that benefit from the 26.2 mile run through the city.

  Link: The Los Angeles Marathon

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  • November 10, 2008 12:38 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Sports/Recreation

• Obama will grant waiver to California to allow stricter emissions standards

  Some issues will get President-elect Barack Obama’s attention as soon as he takes office. That includes a waiver California’s been seeking. It would allow the state to battle climate change by putting strict auto emissions standards in place.

  Last year, the federal Environmental Protection Agency under the Bush administration denied the waiver. Obama has pledged to grant it.

  Ellen Peter is Chief Counsel for the California Air Resources Board. She spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle.

  Ellen Peter: What we’re hoping will happen is, immediately after the president assumes office, is that EPA will then start moving ahead. We are hoping to hear actually during the next few months, during the transition, how they plan to do that.

  EPA chief Stephen Johnson said he denied the waiver because he didn’t believe California was in a special position when it came to climate change. Fourteen other states are also seeking to adopt the stricter emissions standards.

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  • November 10, 2008 12:30 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Governor Schwarzenegger's new economic proposals may have environmental consequences

  With the state facing an $11 billion budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says lawmakers need to consider new spending cuts, tax hikes, and boosts to the economy. KPCC’s Molly Peterson says some of the governor’s economic proposals may carry environmental consequences.

  Molly Peterson: The budget fixes legislators will take up include accelerated spending for water and transportation bonds. State officials believe spending a billion dollars on public works projects could yield 22,000 new jobs. They also want to speed up environmental review. The Natural Resources Defense Council’s David Petit says he’s concerned about that.

  David Petit: I think from their standpoint they want to get money out in the community and a quick way to do that is with public works-type projects. I think it’s a false dichotomy to say that there’s, you can either have jobs or environmental protection, but you can’t have both. There’s a lot of green jobs that are also out there and can be promoted by the governor’s office if that’s what they choose to do.

  Peterson: Petit says he doesn’t yet know from the governor’s office which kinds of projects would get faster environmental review, and how. Environmentalists including Petit say they expect to have that information in the coming week.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:53 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Mayor Villaraigosa talks about serving on Obama's transition team

  Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is a member of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team. Mayor Villaraigosa will serve on Obama’s economic advisory board.

  The Mayor told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” how it felt to stand alongside the president-elect during his first press conference.

  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: “Well, you know, it’s was an honor and I pinch my cheek all the time; I have since I got elected to public office. Feel very honored to be able to be here to represent our city and representing cities across the country, and you know whatever input I can give I certainly want to do that, and do it both humbly, but also understanding that we have a unique perspective to share as the second largest city in America.”

  Mayor Villaraigosa recommended that Obama expand unemployment benefits as a buffer against the effects of joblessness on cities. He noted that unemployment rates are two percentage points higher in the city of Los Angeles than the national average of just over six percent.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:50 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Bronze statue thieves sentenced to 16 months in jail, $30,000 fine

  A Southland man decided to go for the bronze. Now, he’s going to jail. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has the story.

  Cheryl Devall: L.A. Police detectives say Sebastian Solis Espana wasn’t after a medal. He was interested in metal… to sell for scrap. That’s what they say drove him to make off with a landmark from midtown L.A.’s Carthay Circle – a 7-foot statue of a prospector in high boots panning for gold.

  The copper alloy the statue’s made of isn’t as valuable as gold. But metal prices are so high these days that thieves have been hot for anything that contains copper, from electrical wiring to commemorative plaques. Espana and an accomplice sold the statue of the miner to a scrap dealer for about 900 bucks.

  Unbeknownst to them, appraisers had set its value at $125,000. The dealer hadn’t melted down the statue yet; it turned up in two pieces that a good welder should be able to put back together.

  Police arrested the two men – who pleaded no contest – in February. Now both have been sentenced to 16 months in jail and ordered to pay more than $30,000 each in restitution.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:48 PM

• Senator Feinstein may become chair of Senate Intelligence Committee

  California’s senior senator is in line to become the first female head of the Senate Intelligence Committee. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: Democrat Dianne Feinstein heads the Senate Rules Committee, not the most visible committee on Capitol Hill. But she might soon take over the chair of the visible and powerful Senate Intelligence Committee.

  The shuffle began when the most senior member of Congress – Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia – decided to step down as the head of the Appropriations Committee. Hawaii’s Senior Senator Daniel Inouye will jump to Appropriations – and leave the Commerce Committee.

  West Virginia’s Jay Rockefeller will drop the chairmanship of the Intelligence Committee and take over Commerce. That leaves the Intelligence chair to Feinstein, who’s served on committee for eight years.

  The important new post could mean Feinstein will be less interested in running for California governor in two years. A spokesman for Feinstein says she won’t make that decision until next year. Senators are expected to elect committee chairs later this month.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:45 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Congressman Waxman aims to chair House energy committee

  A political battle on Capitol Hill could affect air quality in California. A veteran Los Angeles congressman is trying to oust the powerful head of the House committee that regulates auto emissions. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde explains.

  Kitty Felde: Veteran Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman of Los Angeles already chairs the powerful Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Now he wants to be chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

  It regulates air emissions for both power plants and automobiles. Waxman has served on the committee for more than three decades – but for most of that time, Michigan Democrat John Dingle has been in charge.

  Critics say Dingle is the major roadblock in Congress when it comes to increasing mileage standards for cars or requiring alternative fuels. He’s accused of putting the interests of his home state’s auto industry first.

  The 82-year-old Dingle is fighting back, trying to find support among Democratic House leaders. A decision could come even before early January when the new Congress is sworn in.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:39 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Developer Caruso says he won't run for mayor in next election

  One of the likely contenders in next spring’s Los Angeles mayoral election is saying, “not so fast.” KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has more on the story.

  Cheryl Devall: Political insiders had figured that Rick Caruso, the developer behind L.A.’s Grove shopping center and Glendale’s Americana at Brand, would throw his hat into the ring. But that won’t happen… at least not next election.

  In a statement, Caruso thanked the many people who’ve encouraged him to run. But, he said, he’s decided that the obligation of serving as mayor would place too great a burden on his family at this point.

  That leaves in the front runner spot first-term incumbent Antonio Villaraigosa – whose own family has dealt with the strain of life in the public eye. Walter Moore, a lawyer and activist who finished sixth in the mayoral election three years ago, has also filed his intention to run.

  The election is March 3rd. Candidates for seats on the L.A. Unified School Board, the L.A. City Council, controller, and city attorney will also run.

  Note: The deadline to signal intentions to run is tomorrow.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:36 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Governor's plan includes less environmental scrutiny for public works projects

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has asked state lawmakers for more tax increases and spending cuts to close a worsening state budget deficit.

  To stimulate the economy, the governor wants to speed up spending on public works. His plan includes more jobs – and less environmental scrutiny of big public works projects. The Sierra Club’s Jim Metropolous says environmentalists aren’t sure what that streamlined review could mean.

  Jim Metropolous: “A lot of the agencies that do the environmental review in the Resources Agency are already cut to the bone and have very little staff for the environmental review and permitting parts of the project, so it is really, at this time, we have no information as to how the state and the governor proposes to do this.”

  State officials have told Metropolous and others they’ll offer more details on the proposal next week. The governor’s office says spending $1 billion of infrastructure bond money could create 22,000 jobs.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:33 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• LAPD officer shot in arm while investigating Watts hostage situation

  An L.A. police officer was shot while investigating a possible hostage situation in Watts early this morning. Police had received a call about a gunman threatening family members. LAPD spokeswoman Ana Aguirre says the officer was shot as he entered the house with other officers.

  Ana Aguirre: “One of our patrol officers was struck in the arm. He actually was taken out of the residence by his partner. And then the partner officers also fired back at this individual.”

  Officers then surrounded the house and arrested the gunman just after 9 this morning. Aguirre says the officer who was shot is in stable condition and is expected to be OK.

  There have been some reports that the officer was also hit in the chest, but was saved by a bulletproof vest. Aguirre says the department hasn’t confirmed that.

  The gunman was not hurt. Neither were his relatives. They escaped the house when officers first arrived on the scene.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:29 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Black woman explains vote on Prop 8; black lesbian laments result

  A CNN exit poll shows that 70 percent of California’s African-American voters supported Proposition 8 – the amendment to the state constitution that bans same-sex marriage. Sixty-year-old Bobbie White of Long Beach said she voted for Prop 8 – despite a discussion she’d had with a lesbian activist.

  Bobbie White: “She tried to use the civil rights movement as reason for why she felt that she was alienated. And I’m like, I’m a Christian and I believe in the Bible. And it’s too much support that speaks against homosexuality. I don’t believe that I’m homophobic or anything. I just believe that I don’t want my children to be taught that.”

  The passage of the ballot measure was heartbreaking for Valerie Wagner of AIDS Project Los Angeles. She works with a coalition that tries to educate African-Americans about gender issues.

  Valerie Wagner: I mean, we just elected a black man as president of the United States of America – something that I never thought I would see in my lifetime – and yet there are people who are my family, the community of my family, and they still think it’s OK to deny me my rights because of who I choose to love.

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  • November 7, 2008 4:26 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Former child actor Deleon sentenced to death penalty for murder of his parents

  A jury in Santa Ana today handed down the death penalty to the mastermind behind a pair of murders on a yacht off the Newport Beach coast. KPCC’s Nick Roman has details about the sentence for former child actor Skylar Deleon.

  Skylar Deleon: The jury sentenced Deleon to death for three killings – including the murders of Thomas and Jackie Hawks. Four years ago, Deleon posed as a buyer for their yacht. They took him on a test run off Newport Beach.

  But Deleon tied them to an anchor – and tossed them overboard. The prosecution called the murders “diabolical and heartless.” Earlier this week, Deleon’s lawyer told the jury his 29-year-old client wasn’t “born to be a murderer.”

  Attorney Gary Pohlson said Deleon’s father – an ex-con – had “trained” his son “like a killing machine” with beatings and emotional abuse. Pohlson also pointed to Deleon’s ex-wife Jennifer, someone, he said, who “makes Skylar do things.”

  She’s serving life in prison for her part in the murders. She was offered immunity to testify against her husband – but refused. The jury bought none of it. The case isn’t over yet. Three accomplices will be tried for their part in the Hawks murders.

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  • November 6, 2008 5:17 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Prosecutors play Carona-Haidl tapes in former sheriff Carona's corruption trial

  Jurors in the federal corruption trial of Mike Carona listened to Orange County’s former sheriff chat about illegal money-making schemes today. KPCC’s Nick Roman says prosecutors in Santa Ana played some of those recordings in court.

  Nick Roman: Prosecutors last year wired former assistant sheriff Don Haidl – a Carona confidante – so they could listen in as he and Carona talked about ways they could use the sheriff’s office to bring in money.

  Jurors heard excerpts from two of those meetings. The language got pretty crude sometimes. You won’t get to hear the recordings – but you will get to read the transcripts. Over objections from Carona’s attorneys, federal judge Andrew Guilford ruled that the news media can print the conversations.

  During Haidl’s second day on the stand, the Newport Beach businessman said he used to give Carona a thousand dollars a month to keep his greed under control. He said the payments began 10 years ago and continued during Carona’s first term as sheriff.

  Haidl and another Carona associate – George Jaramillo – were aiming to get the sheriff elected to state office. Haidl said that way, Carona could tap into big state dollars – and funnel contracts Haidl’s way.

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  • November 6, 2008 5:09 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Assemblyman Laird responds to Schwarzenegger's proposals to close budget gap

  The state is in fiscal trouble again, Governor Schwarzenegger said today. His proposed remedies for a widening budget gap – cuts in services and a sales tax increase – don’t sit well with John Laird, chair of the California Assembly Budget Committee.

  John Laird: “The significant thing that was interesting in the governor’s press conference today, is he’s been saying for almost his entire time as governor is that we have a spending problem. And today he said that’s no longer the case. It is flipped. We have a revenue problem. And that was a real significant move by him.”

  Laird, a Democrat, told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that he didn’t agree with the governor’s proposed cuts to state health and education programs. Sacramento Republicans expressed concern that the governor’s too eager to apply quick fixes to the budget problems.

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  • November 6, 2008 4:23 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Toymaker Mattel announces 1,000 job cuts

  El Segundo-based toymaker Mattel announced today it’s cutting about 1,000 jobs. More on the story from KPCC’s Cheryl Devall.

  Cheryl Devall: As anyone in retail can tell you, this holiday shopping season is looking bleak. Mattel’s profits fell short of expectations last quarter – and, a company spokeswoman said, the economic slowdown amplified the need to streamline.

  So it’s decided to cut jobs, including 8 percent of professional and management staff, and about 70 people at its Fisher-Price unit in New York state. Aside from that toy line for the tiniest tots, Mattel makes Barbie and American Girl dolls and Hot Wheels cars and accessories. The company expects to trim jobs through layoffs, retirement, and attrition.

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  • November 6, 2008 3:27 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Economic downturn hurting local opera and symphony

  Orange County’s 22-year-old opera company appears to have sung its last aria. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez says the economic downturn’s to blame.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Three years ago Opera Pacific presented Rossini’s “The Italian Girl of Algiers.” That opera’s rescue theme may have worked better this year. Here’s the organization’s voicemail message.

  Opera Pacific voicemail message: Thank you for calling. Opera Pacific appreciates your years of patronage and is saddened to report the cancellation of the remainder of the 2008-2009 season.

  Guzman-Lopez: The last few seasons, Opera Pacific had relied on big donors to make ends meet. In this tough economy, opera officials told the Los Angeles Times, they couldn’t raise enough money to cover half of a roughly $8 million budget. So they’re moving to sell off assets, and they harbor slim hope for a tearless ending.

  Up the freeway, the Pasadena Symphony cancelled four concerts this season but hasn’t shut down. Symphony officials say investments they depended on to pay for the season are eroding fast.

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  • November 6, 2008 3:25 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Republican Congressman Campbell says he hopes Obama will rethink plan to raise taxes on those making over $250,000

  President-elect Barack Obama is scheduled to meet with economic advisors tomorrow and then convene a news conference.

  Orange County Republican Congressman John Campbell told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that he’d like Obama to rethink his plan to tax people with annual incomes above $250,000.

  John Campbell: “I’m hoping that he, and I think most of the advisors he’s talking about understand that, given the severity of the economic situation we’re in, that a tax increase now would actually, on anybody – wouldn’t matter who – is actually going to have the opposite effect of the stimulus that they’re trying to have happen.”

  Campbell said the president-elect will face many economic issues before he assumes office. That includes naming a treasury secretary – Campbell thinks that’ll happen within days, if not hours. Campbell also said Obama will have to fill key positions, including the boards of mortgage guarantors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

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  • November 6, 2008 1:42 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA Times blogger says Measure R only partial solution for LA traffic

  This week, Los Angeles County voters approved a half-cent sales tax to raise 40 billion for public transportation projects. Steve Hymon, who writes the Los Angeles Times’ “Bottleneck Blog,” told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that the ballot question known as Measure R is only a partial solution for L.A.’s traffic problems.

  Steve Hymon: “For a lot of the projects of Measure R, money should get most of them built, but to build them right and to get them as far as you want to go, or maybe farther, the federal money will undoubtedly help. Because one of the things about Measure R, is that it has a long list of projects.”

  Those projects include extending the Metro subway and Gold Line light rail.

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  • November 6, 2008 1:39 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Transportation

• Congressman Schiff says one of first items on Obama agenda will be Afghanistan strategy

  Some members of Congress are weighing in on the issues they think President-elect Barack Obama should focus upon when he takes office.

  Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff told KPCC’s Larry Mantle he thinks one of the first items on Obama’s foreign policy agenda will be to craft a workable strategy in Afghanistan.

  Adam Schiff: “There right now is a division within the military in terms of how we ought to handle the situation, and whether there should be some with certain parts of the Taliban, or whether the Taliban are just too inextricably interlinked with al-Qaida. That debate is raging.”

  About the Iraq War, Schiff said that Obama should try to get the Iraqis to take more control over their military and security future – and pay for more of the war.

  Obama was scheduled to receive his first high-level intelligence briefings today.

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  • November 6, 2008 12:42 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Congresswoman Harman says Obama should prioritize closing Guantanamo Bay detention center

  President-elect Barack Obama will face some serious foreign policy issues – including wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – once he gets into office.

  But Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harman told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that another of Obama’s priorities should be to immediately close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Harman chairs the U.S. House Intelligence Subcommittee.

  Jane Harman: “It is not that hard to figure out what to do with those prisoners whom can’t be released or returned to their own countries. They should be tried either by regular military courts or U.S. civilian courts and we can incarcerate dangerous people in the U.S.”

  Obama has vowed to close the detention facility.

  Harman also suggested that Obama should focus on building this country’s intelligence capabilities and reach out to allies that Harman said the Bush administration had spurned.

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  • November 6, 2008 12:39 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Orange County congresswoman Sanchez talks about how Obama can stabilize, grow economy

  Lawmakers are suggesting to the president-elect what his top priorities should be. Orange County Democratic Congresswoman Linda Sanchez says the country’s economic problems are rooted in the mortgage meltdown and the sub-prime market.

  Linda Sanchez: “If we’re going to stabilize the economy and grow the economy, which I think is a priority for President-elect Obama, we need to plant the seed of recovery in the housing market itself.”

  Sanchez joined other Southland congressional representatives on KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

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  • November 6, 2008 12:37 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Congresswoman Harman says Obama's first intelligence briefings will include more on Afghanistan

  President-elect Barack Obama is receiving his first intelligence briefings today.

  Democratic Congresswoman Jane Harman told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that Obama will find out more about the seriousness of the situation in Afghanistan.

  Jane Harman: “I think what he will learn is that the Afghanistan situation is dreadful and that fixing it is not just, cannot just be done by moving, troops to Iraq, where we do need to end our combat mission, into Afghanistan. It’s much more nuanced and complicated problem, and it is a different country from Iraq. Totally different. So the strategy has to be different.”

  Harman participates in many intelligence briefings as chair of the House Intelligence Subcommittee.

  Harman also said that Obama’s foreign policy priorities should include immediately closing the U.S.-operated prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and changing interrogation procedures for suspected terrorists to make sure they comply with federal law.

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  • November 6, 2008 12:35 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• State water officials approve $2 million to fund beach water quality tests

  State water officials have voted to direct $2 million in stopgap funding toward county agencies for beach water quality tests. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports that Southland environmentalists and counties lobbied for the money.

  Molly Peterson: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger used a line-item veto to cut the money last month. He said fighting fires took precedence over a program counties use to check for harmful bacteria in seawater.

  Almost immediately, local agencies and environmental groups began pushing the governor and the State Water Resources Control Board to restore that program. Now, with little fanfare, the board’s agreed to do it.

  If the money follows the plans made before the cuts, Orange County will get about 10 percent, San Diego about 15 percent, and Ventura will take a slice too. L.A. County is one of 17 counties taking part in the program, but its officials say the county can pay for testing at more than 80 sites without the restored money.

  California’s seawater sampling program is the most rigorous in the nation. The vote doesn’t guarantee that the program will continue past the next two years. Environmentalists and counties contend that without financial guarantees, local agencies might have to scrap testing for bacteria-based health hazards at the beach.

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  • November 5, 2008 4:47 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Former LA mayor Hahn appointed to Superior Court

  A former Los Angeles mayor will occupy a different seat – a judicial bench – soon. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has more on Governor Schwarzenegger’s latest Superior Court appointments.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: The governor chose 17 people to fill positions on the Los Angeles County Superior Court. The best known of them is James Hahn. He was mayor of L.A. for four years earlier this decade, and for the 16 years before that he was city attorney.

  Hahn belongs to a prominent political family. His late father, Kenneth Hahn, represented the Culver City to Compton district on the L.A. County Board of Supervisors for four decades. Sister Janice Hahn is the harbor area rep on the L.A. City Council.

  Jim Hahn steered clear of elected office after he lost his mayoral re-election bid three years ago. He’s worked since then for a real estate investment banking firm and for a mediation center. In his new job, he might be able to pick up some advice from his cousin Dale Hahn – a judge in San Mateo County Superior Court.

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  • November 5, 2008 4:45 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• 19 year old African-American in South LA talks youth vote for Obama

  In South Los Angeles’ Chesterfield Square, a 19-year-old named Aaron told KPCC’s John Rabe that – unlike his parents and grandparents – he didn’t have to wait long at all to vote for a black president.

  Aaron: “I turned 18 last year so it wasn’t not election ‘til this year. So I couldn’t wait – I was excited.”
  John Rabe: “Did you talk about this with your friends?”
  Aaron: “Yeah, I did. Some of my friends didn’t vote. I was mad at them, ‘cause they was being stupid. That’s they decision – they did what they wanted to do. They wanted to sit at home. I wanted to make a change.”

  Young, black voters like Aaron overwhelmingly supported Obama. They constituted only part of a winning coalition that also included sizable numbers of white and Latino voters.

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  • November 5, 2008 3:01 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Governor Schwarzenegger reacts to Obama win

  Governor Schwarzenegger, who supported John McCain for president, weighed in with other leaders on the election of Barack Obama.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “First of all, I want to congratulate Senator Obama for becoming President-elect Obama. I think this is an extraordinary accomplishment. I think it’s going to be great for the country. And I’m looking forward to working with him to getting people back to work, to keep people in their homes, and to create health care reform, and to create great relationships overseas.”

  Schwarzenegger’s been rumored as a possible Obama cabinet appointee – possibly to the federal Department of Energy. The governor told reporters he plans to stay in Sacramento until the end of his term in two years.

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  • November 5, 2008 2:54 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Republican voter talks about how Republicans can learn from Obama victory

  In the wake of John McCain’s defeat, some Southern California Republicans want a makeover for their party. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Seal Beach Republican Bert Herring voted for John McCain. In hindsight, he said, opponent Barack Obama had a better-organized campaign and a stronger message. He added that Republicans in Orange County and across the country could learn from Obama’s win.

  Bert Herring: Like a lot of us have to do in this economy, we have to reengineer ourselves, reinvent ourselves and come up with a message that’s strong and appealing to a wider base, and maybe get off the far right a little bit and move to the center and appeal to more people.

  Guzman-Lopez: Herring said that in recent years he’s watched as Orange County increasingly favors Democratic candidates. John McCain won just a bit over half the presidential votes in that county.

  Just over half of Orange County’s voters cast ballots. That’s lower than the statewide turnout and much lower than in Los Angeles County, where more than 80 percent of registered voters participated in this week’s election.

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  • November 5, 2008 2:45 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Republican voters react to McCain loss

  Southland Republicans are assessing what went wrong after their party’s loss in the presidential election. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez talked to one.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Lakewood Republican Karen Smith, an interior designer, cast her ballot for John McCain.

  Karen Smith: If Colin Powell would have ran, I’d voted him in. So it isn’t a racial issue, it’s experience. We’re in a dangerous time, you know, with 9/11, too dangerous to put a newbie in, somebody without experience. It’s very dangerous, very scary.

  Guzman-Lopez: Smith said Powell’s experience is too valuable to ignore. She suggested that President-elect Barack Obama find a place for the former four-star U.S. Army general and secretary of state in his administration. For now, she said, she’d stand behind Obama and pray for him to lead this country.

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  • November 5, 2008 2:43 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Gay couple plans to sue again for the right to marry

  The gay couple that sued to win the right to marry in California plans to sue again to overturn Proposition 8. Robin Tyler and Diane Olson said today they intend to challenge the newly-approved ban on same-sex marriage.

  L.A. attorney Gloria Allred is representing Tyler and Olson. She says when the California Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage last May, it said that state can’t treat different couples in different ways.

  Gloria Allred: “We believe that then the court must hold that California may not issue marriage licenses to non-gay couples because if it does, it would be violating the equal protection clause as straight couples would more rights by being allowed to marry than gay couples.”

  Allred says her clients will bring their case directly to the state Supreme Court.

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  • November 5, 2008 2:38 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Proposition 11 supporters hails its passage

  Supporters of Proposition 11 – the statewide re-districting ballot question – celebrated its passage today. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Prop 11 shifts responsibility for drawing political boundaries for Assembly and Senate seats from the state legislature to an independent commission. Governor Schwarzenegger predicted it would result in the election of less partisan state legislators.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: I think that the next governor will have a much better time getting along with everyone and bringing everyone together, and making decision not on what’s best for the party but making decisions based on what’s best for the people of this great state.

  Stoltze: Janis Hirohama, president of the California League of Women Voters, also praised the result.

  Janis Hirohama: We finally put an end to a rigged system that returns incumbents to their seats 99 percent of the time.

  Stoltze: Prop 11 requires geographically compact legislative districts and forbids the commission from drawing districts that favor or discriminate against incumbents. Schwarzenegger had staked some of his political legacy on getting the measure passed.

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  • November 5, 2008 1:34 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• First married gay couple challenges Prop 8

  The L.A. gay couple whose lawsuit eventually led to same-sex marriage in California will go back to court to challenge Proposition 8. The initiative passed yesterday by state voters bans same-sex marriage.

  Robin Tyler told reporters in Los Angeles that she and her partner Diane Olson will go directly to the California Supreme Court to argue that Prop 8 treats them unequally under the law.

  Robin Tyler: “I am still married to Diane today. We do not want the word ‘domestic partnership.’ We want the word ‘marriage.’”

  Tyler and Olson were the first gay couple to wed after the state Supreme Court issued its ruling last May that California’s earlier ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.

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  • November 5, 2008 1:18 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• South LA resident talks about generational change in politics, race relations

  Outside the Home Depot in South L.A.’s Chesterfield Square, 52-year-old Sharon Harvey said she’s very happy Obama was elected. She added that race didn’t have everything to do with it.

  Sharon Harvey: “I think the new generation now – all the prejudice, the bigotry, is gone. The old generation is dying out. So I think the new generation now has a more liberal view as far as race is concerned and they don’t believe that only the white Caucasian man could run things and make it right.”

  Exit polls indicate that young voters constituted about 20 percent of the electorate and leaned heavily toward Obama.

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  • November 5, 2008 1:16 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Occidental College students light fireworks to celebrate alumnus Obama win

  Students at Occidental College in Eagle Rock lit fireworks to celebrate the election of their almost-alum Barack Obama as president. Junior Carrie Maggs is from Knoxville, Tennessee. She says many people on campus love that Obama spent two of his college years at Oxy.

  Carrie Maggs: “It was a formative time for him where he changed his name from Barry to Barack and things like that, and social and cultural and racial identity is a big issue here on campus. And I think him being the first black president, that’s part of why he’s struck such a chord with students here. But I think also the issues are very important thing, and if he were still supporting the war in Iraq and wanting to carry out Bush’s policies, I don’t think he would have been as popular.”

  Obama transferred from Occidental to Columbia University in New York, where he completed his bachelor’s degree.

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  • November 5, 2008 12:59 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Occidental College students celebrate win of alumnus Obama

  For two years, President-elect Barack Obama attended Occidental College in Eagle Rock. Students there aren’t shy about their school’s ties with the next President.

  Adam Greenhouse: “I’m Adam Greenhouse, I’m from New Jersey, was born in New York City, and I’m 20 years old. Personally, I took a class with Roger Beausche who was one of Obama’s favorite professors and it’s very rewarding to have that connection. He’s a great professor and he must feel great as most of this campus does.”

  Greenhouse says he smoked a victory cigar with friends last night. Someone set off fireworks, and 300 students gathered in the campus’s Cooler. Twenty-year old Brandon Roberts said he cast his first-ever vote yesterday for Obama.

  Brandon Roberts: “I feel a special connection because of Occidental but it’s not just that. It’s – he has this power, this allure, this charisma that just makes you want to believe that he can change this country. And that’s really why I voted for him.”

  Roberts said students chalked victory messages onto the campus pavement.

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  • November 5, 2008 12:56 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Governor Schwarzenegger hails passage of Prop 11

  Governor Schwarzenegger today hailed the passage of Proposition 11 – the ballot measure that changes the way the state draws political boundaries.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “I think that the voters have voted for Proposition 11 because they are sick and tired of the gridlock in Sacramento. They know that we have the intelligence up there, but we have a system in place where getting stuck in our ideological corners is rewarded and compromise is punished. Proposition 11 will change all that.”

  Proposition 11 shifts responsibility for determining Assembly and Senate district boundaries from the state legislature to an independent commission.

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  • November 5, 2008 12:53 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Senator Boxer says immediate focus will be on fixing economy

  Democrats picked up more seats yesterday in the U.S. House and Senate. California Senator Barbara Boxer said the additional seats will give Democrats more leverage to move forward with President-elect Barack Obama’s programs. Boxer said the immediate focus will be on fixing the nation’s economy.

  Barbara Boxer: “I don’t envision more rebate checks. What I envision is investments in infrastructure. You know, cleaning up Superfund sites, building new roads. Strengthening our bridges, our highways, building transit systems. This is a short term program that we really need to do, and I believe Barack feels strongly about it.”

  Democrats have picked up at least 5 seats in the Senate and 18 in the House.

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  • November 5, 2008 12:50 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Senator Boxer talks about pressure on Democrats due to winning presidency, gains in Congress

  Democrats picked up five U.S. Senate seats in yesterday’s election. There’s still no decision in other races. Democrats also captured at least 18 seats in the U.S. House.

  Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer was asked whether her party will feel pressure to solve the nation’s problems now that it controls the legislative and executive branches.

  Barbara Boxer: “Well I should feel the pressure. I mean I think when the people say we’re willing to give you a chance, you better step up to the plate. Of course you feel the pressure.”

  Boxer told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that solving the recession will be the short-term challenge for her party. She said its long-term challenges include balancing the budget and reining in the nation’s debt.

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  • November 5, 2008 12:45 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Governor Schwarzenegger calling special session of legislature due to budget gap

  California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to call a special session of the legislature today. KPCC’s Steve Julian says California is facing an ever-widening budget gap.

  Steve Julian: First, it took lawmakers nearly three months past the June 30th deadline this year to pass a budget. Just a month ago, the gap was estimated to be $3 billion. It’s now thought to be closer to $10 billion – and rising. Schwarzenegger is a Republican who supports not only across-the-board cuts, but also tax increases. That idea doesn’t go over well with fellow Republicans.

  The legislature won’t have much time to figure out a solution: there’s Veterans’ Day next week; then the Governor’s Conference on Small Business and Entrepreneurship in two weeks; and then Thanksgiving. That leaves the lame-duck legislature at most 12 business days before new senate and assembly members are sworn in.

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  • November 5, 2008 12:39 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Voters in line at poll closing time will still be allowed to vote

  About 60 percent of Los Angeles voters have cast ballots as of 4 this afternoon. But election officials still expect a rush after most people leave work.

  California Common Cause’s Kathy Feng says that as long as you’ve shown up on time, you’ll get your turn.

  Kathy Feng: “The key thing that voters need to know is that if you are standing in line at 8 p.m., you are allowed to vote no matter how long it takes for that line to get processed. And what will happen is, or what should happen, is that a poll worker will come out at 8 p.m. and note who is in the line and at the end of the line, and say everybody who is at this point on will vote even if it takes some time for them to actually get into the voting booth.”

  More than 4 million voters are registered in Los Angeles County – a record for the most populous county in the nation.

  Election Protection call center:

  

  Election Protection phone bank:

  

  Post-Its of reported voters concerns (broken ballot boxes, names not on registers, voter intimidation, running out of ballots, etc.):

  

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  • November 4, 2008 5:33 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• African-Americans remember relatives who didn't live to see this election

  The historic nature of today’s election caused some African-Americans to remember relatives who didn’t live to see this occasion. Forty-four-year-old Michael Whitfield of South Los Angeles stood in line for 2 hours to vote. He said he would have waited three times as long.

  Michael Whitfield: “Even though I’m a father of three kids and got four grandkids, I feel like today was the day I can say that I did this for my father, who is deceased, who went through a lot; my mother; my grandfather. And I really feel good seeing black, white, Orientals, everybody of different nationality is here to vote. All the time I voted this was the best I’ve ever, ever seen.”

  Whitfield has worked as a maintenance engineer for 20 years.

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  • November 4, 2008 5:26 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Lawyer monitoring election process says provisional ballots will count

  In downtown Los Angeles today, a group of lawyers has been monitoring the election process. Some Angelenos arrived at their precincts to find they’re not on the rolls, even though they’re registered.

  Poll workers have given those voters provisional ballots. California Common Cause’s Kathy Feng says those provisional votes will still matter.

  Kathy Feng: “All ballots are counted; so whether it’s a regularly voted ballot at the polls, an absentee ballot, or a provisional ballot… rest assured that every county, including L.A. County is hard at work counting every single ballot, and the final count doesn’t get certified by the secretary of state until 28 days after the election.”

  Feng says she suspects more voters are getting provisional ballots because this year, more people are registering and voting for the first time.

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  • November 4, 2008 5:18 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Fountain Valley precinct supervisor talks about voting at her polling place

  KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez visited a polling booth in Fountain Valley.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: This polling booth is in a church a few blocks from city hall, the school district offices and a sign that reads “Fountain Valley, A Nice Place to Live.”

  Teresa Callahan, this precinct’s supervisor, says it’s turning out to be a nice place to vote. She says more than 30 people were in line when she opened the doors at 7 this morning.

  Crowds ebbed in the middle of the day and they’re picking back up. The only problem so far here has been one busted electronic voting machine. That leaves eight still in use.

  Callahan says she had to reprimand a few young voters for electioneering earlier today, after they began screaming and yelling right outside the precinct about their presidential pick.

  She says many people have asked, “How do I know my vote’s counted?” Callahan points to the machine and says “Trust us.” Unlike in previous years, Orange County voters don’t get paper receipts after they cast ballots.

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  • November 4, 2008 5:14 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• African-American woman says this election is bringing blacks together

  Many African-American voters approached the polls with a sense of history. Bobbie White of Long Beach waited two hours to cast her ballot and thought of what she’d seen during her lifetime.

  Bobbie White: “Civil Rights movement and all of the people that lost their lives and couldn’t vote. And I’m really moved by seeing all the young men that’s coming out. Some of the 18-, 19-year-olds. And I think this is giving them… It’s bringing us more together as black people.”

  The 60-year-old nurse said she believes this election is also important for women who aspire to the highest offices in the land.

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  • November 4, 2008 5:04 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Voter turnout in LA County on pace to set record

  Voting turnout in Los Angeles County is on pace to set a record today. As of 2 o’clock, almost half the county’s registered voters had cast ballots.

  In L.A.’s West Adams neighborhood, Gulf War veteran Dino Clear and his mother Louise have voted at the First A.M.E. Zion church for decades. The younger Clear told KPCC’s Molly Peterson that voting took a while – but he felt it was worth the time.

  Dino Clear: “This isn’t a normal turnout, usually we come right in and there’s no one here. The line goes through the lobby and it winds down the stairs, and the line is also going around downstairs, so it’s quite a line downstairs as well.”

  County election officials say they’re expecting more than 80 percent of eligible voters to cast ballots. Los Angeles is the biggest county in California and the nation with more than 4 million registered voters. In the last presidential election, more people voted in L.A. County than in 41 of the 50 states.

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  • November 4, 2008 4:55 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Independent poll watchers helping make sure voting runs smoothly

  Independent poll watchers are monitoring Los Angeles County precincts today to help ensure that the vote runs smoothly. People from the national Election Protection coalition and from the local voting rights group “Work the Vote” staked out L.A.’s West Adams neighborhood.

  Outside the polling station at the First A.M.E. Zion church, KPCC’s Molly Peterson met voter Jacqueline McDowell, who said the extra scrutiny makes sense.

  Jacqueline McDowell: Either it’s going to be the first African American or it’s going to be the first woman vice president so you know everybody wants to come out and do their part to make sure everything’s above board, you know? You have to keep things straight you know in the past elections they’ve had a few discrepancies so it doesn’t hurt to have things checked and rechecked, you know, dot your is and cross your ts. It’s a good thing.

  Some power outages have slowed voting in other L.A. precincts. But county elections officers and independent monitors say nobody’s reported major problems.

  Link: Election Protection
  Link: WorkTheVoteLA.org

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  • November 4, 2008 4:42 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Inland Empire sees record increase in voter registration

  Long before Election Day, tens of thousands of people in the Inland Empire cast ballots by mail or at one of several early voting sites. The two-county region also added about 200,000 people to its voter rolls in the last year.

  That’s the biggest increase ever. Kari Virgil is San Bernardino County’s registrar of voters. She’s expecting the biggest turnout for a general election in county history.

  Kari Virgil: “The last record we had was just over 71 percent, so for this election I’m hoping we can achieve 75 percent or higher. I may be conservative on that number but we won’t know until later this evening, and during the canvass we’ll see that number continue to increase. Voters are just excited in general because whichever candidate they cast a ballot for, they will be making part of history.”

  Inland voters are using paper ballots today. That’s because California’s secretary of state decertified Riverside and San Bernardino County’s touch-screen voting systems last year over security concerns. But so far, elections officials haven’t reported any major delays.

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  • November 4, 2008 4:22 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Voters lined up around the block

  Poll workers at Virgil Middle School in Los Angeles – near the convergence of Hollywood and Koreatown – say the line of voters hasn’t let up since balloting began at 7 this morning.

  People lined up from the school’s auditorium half-way down the block. Twenty-seven-year-old voter Brooke Callahan told KPCC’s Queena Kim the wait didn’t bother her.

  Brooke Callahan: Actually I was expecting a lot more to be here.
  Queena Kim: You got yourself a book.
  Callahan: Yes, I came prepared; I have snack and a book and an iPod because I didn’t know how long I’d be here.

  Kim: Brooke Callahan’s just moved from Austin, Texas. This was her first time voting in California.

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  • November 4, 2008 4:03 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Poll manager talks about voting this year and in 2000

  Traffic is steady at polling places across the Inland region. Election officials in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties are anticipating about 75 percent of registered voters to cast ballots.

  Many of those voters have already cast ballots at early voting places or by mail. But most polling places had voters lined up at dawn this morning. Mickey Zolezio is the poll manger at Eden Evangelical Lutheran Church in Riverside.

  Mickey Zolezio: “We had people waiting outside the door at 6 a.m., we opened at 7. I was anticipating chaos. Yeah, for sure. The craziest election I worked was the 2000 election, that’s where it got crazy. I think we had people lined up for over an hour, we had people standing in line like 9 o’clock. I even had to call the cops on somebody at some point.”

  It’s turned out to be not nearly as crazy today. Thousands of Inland voters waited up to 3 hours to cast ballots yesterday, the final day of early voting. That’s helped relieve the crush of voters at polling places today. Riverside and San Bernardino County’s anticipated record turnout is partly because of a surge of new voters.

  Tools

  • November 4, 2008 1:15 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs