KPCC News In Brief

January 2009 Archives

• City Attorney Delgadillo: L.A. law enforcement driving gangs out... to other places

  Law enforcement officials in the city of Los Angeles say this year could be a “tipping point” in their fight against gangs. They’re promising to devote more resources to the effort, and to work more closely with gang intervention workers. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: In the city of Los Angeles, gang crime declined 23 percent in the last five years.

  City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo: Ya know, for the first time in my law enforcement career, with respect to gangs, it feels like we’re winning.

  Stoltze: City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo credits gang injunctions, more police resources, and a new commitment to improving intervention and prevention programs. Delgadillo says he found out at a recent conference that some gang members are fleeing the city.

  Delgadillo: Prosecutors from across the state – San Diego, Barstow, Fresno, Bakersfield – all came up to me and said, “Stop what you’re doing in Los Angeles because you’re sending them to us.”

  Stoltze: That’s not to say gangs don’t continue to dominate some neighborhoods. Indeed, while Police Chief Bill Bratton has pledged to reduce gang violence another 15 percent this year, he’s also said gangs are here to stay in the city of Los Angeles.

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  • January 30, 2009 6:20 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Attorney General Brown says he'll fight state furloughs

  Governor Schwarzenegger has expanded his state furlough program to include employees of constitutional officers… including the State Attorney General, Controller, Treasurer, Secretary of State, Lieutenant Governor, and Superintendent of Public Instruction. But one of those officers thinks the furloughs are illegal. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde reports.

  Kitty Felde: Leave it to a lawyer to challenge an official order from the governor. California’s top counselor, Attorney General Jerry Brown, issued his own legal opinion about the current governor’s plan to give state employees two days off a month without pay.

  In a written statement, Brown, a former governor, said he believes Thursday’s state Supreme Court order okaying furloughs does not apply to constitutional officers, including employees in his office.

  State Treasurer Bill Lockyer sent his own letter to State Controller John Chiang, asking to exempt the Treasurer’s office from the furloughs for the same reasons.

  Attorney General Brown said his department would take “appropriate legal steps” to fight the proposal. He added that his office would find other ways to cut its budget.

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  • January 30, 2009 6:15 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• State parks seek waiver to governor's order

  The governor’s cost-saving order to close state agencies two Fridays a month starts this week. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports that California state parks have asked to stay open.

  Molly Peterson: Fridays are popular with park-goers in California – and that means more funds for the department’s operation. So, Cal Parks has requested a waiver of the governor’s order.

  Closing on the first and third Fridays of the month would force the department to grant refunds for standing camping reservations and reduce its revenues from fees. Instead, the department wants to shut down on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, when fewer people go to the beach or for a hike.

  Cal Parks isn’t the only agency in a pickle. The state’s unemployment offices say they’re expecting logjams from the governor’s furloughs at a time when more people are coming through their doors.

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  • January 30, 2009 5:22 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• California gas workers get support from other unions

  A federal mediator got involved in contract talks today between the Southern California Gas Company and the union that represents 5,000 of its employees. Their current contract expires tomorrow night, and the union is preparing for a strike. KPCC’s Brian Watt has the story.

  Brian Watt: The two sides remain far apart on key issues including pensions, medical benefits, and sick pay. Members of the Utility Workers Union local voted overwhelmingly earlier this week in favor of striking if necessary.

  Now, the local has the backing of the L.A. County Federation of Labor and its coalition of more than 350 unions. Federation chief Maria Elena Durazo spelled out how union workers - from teachers to truck drivers – are ready to help.

  Maria Elena Durazo: Picket line support, rallies, demonstrations, food drives for the strikers, raising money for the strikers…

  Watt: Art Frias has worked 32 years for the Southern California Gas company in a variety of jobs, from meter repair to customer service.

  Art Frias: Through this job, I was able to join the middle class family, and I want to stay there.

  Watt: Frias and other union members accuse the utility of using tough economic times as an excuse for making a bad offer. The gas company has said it’s offering the workers pay increases as high as 10-and-a-half percent.

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  • January 30, 2009 5:20 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Public art sculpture removed in Culver City, confused for trash

  Curators installed a public art project in Culver City last week that incorporated debris from a surrounding neighborhood. Apparently sanitation workers removed the work of art yesterday after residents complained it was trash. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: California Biennial Curator Lauri Firstenberg says you can see the found objects in the coffin-size resin sculpture by artist Jedediah Ceasar.

  Lauri Firstenberg: Corks from wine bottles, found pieces of wood, various papers and toys, everything from natural and artificial materials.

  Guzman-Lopez: The artist sought to demonstrate the process of taking debris from a public sphere and returning a work of art to that space. She says some people didn’t get it.

  Firstenberg: It sounded like a neighbor, a local inhabitant called the city to say that construction materials were abandoned on the sidewalk requesting to have it picked up.

  Guzman-Lopez: She says the sculpture spent the night at a storage facility and Culver City officials are working with Firstenberg to return it. She teaches a college art class titled Problems in Public Art and says this will give her plenty to talk about.

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  • January 30, 2009 5:16 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Museum of Contemporary Art lays off 20% of staff

  L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art announced today it’s laying off 20 percent of its employees and cutting more than $4 million from its operating budget. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: The cuts follow a month after philanthropist Eli Broad announced a $30 million bailout for the museum. The day that happened, trustees announced they’d bought out MOCA director Jeremy Strick’s contract and appointed former UCLA chancellor Charles Young as the museum’s chief executive officer. In a statement, Young said the cuts are necessary to ensure the museum’s long-term financial stability.

  MOCA had been on the verge of closing. The sour economy dried up the value of its endowment, and many big donors had stopped giving. The museum’s laying off full-time and part-time employees including curators - 32 in all. Their last day on the job will be next Friday.

  This year marks MOCA’s 30th anniversary. It’s developed a reputation as the nation’s leading contemporary art museum. Many cultural observers agree, but the cuts in personnel and budget will test MOCA’s ability to remain a top museum.

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  • January 30, 2009 5:12 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• RNC chooses 1st African-American chairman

  The Republican National Committee has chosen its first African-American chairman, former Maryland lieutenant governor Michael Steele. Jon Fleishman, vice chairman of the California Republican Party, told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” what he thinks what Steele may offer the GOP.

  Jon Fleishman: “He’s become a kind of a national figure within the party as someone who’s been focused on a message of what we’re for and what we need to be about in order to be a successful party and regain the majority.”

  Steele prevailed over four other candidates for the party leadership. He regards himself as a conservative, but Republican insiders say he was the most moderate contender for the job.

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  • January 30, 2009 5:04 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Attorney General Brown raises most campaign money

  The Sacramento Bee reports California Attorney General Jerry Brown has raised the most campaign money among Democrats considering a run for governor next year. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze has more.

  Frank Stoltze: Even though he hasn’t formally said he’ll run, Jerry Brown is becoming a leading contender in next year’s Democratic Party primary for governor. And his fundraising proves it.

  The 70-year-old politician who already served as governor once has $4 million in cash on hand. That’s three times the amount of rivals San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi.

  Newsom’s campaign tells the Sacramento Bee he’s raised his money over a shorter period of time. Garamendi’s campaign maintains he’s got a “solid financial foundation.”

  The money race could get tougher if U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein or state schools Superintendent Jack O’Connell jumps into the race. And Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa - who is up for re-election in March - reportedly hasn’t ruled out a run for governor.

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  • January 30, 2009 5:01 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Hospital exec busted in fraud probe

  Federal investigators today arrested a hospital executive who once was in charge of L.A.’s City of Angeles Medical Center. KPCC’s Nick Roman says it’s the latest move in a long investigation into hospital billing.

  Nick Roman: The executive – Robert Bourseau - has been in trouble with the feds before. Five years ago, they sued him and his business partner over Medicare bills at a psychiatric hospital in San Diego. But the fraud allegations he faces in connection with City of Angels Medical Center are a lot more serious.

  The feds say recruiters scouted homeless people who qualify for Medicare or Medi-Cal. They paid them up to $30 to visit an “assessment center” that allegedly cooked up phony diagnoses - and then sent them to City of Angels for treatments they didn’t need. The bills went to the government.

  Bourseau’s business partner pleaded guilty last month to his part in the scheme. Seven years ago, an “L.A. Business Journal” article looked at how Bourseau and his partners had turned City of Angels Medical Center into a success. It said the hospital showed “what works, and what doesn’t, in urban health care.” Put the emphasis on the “what doesn’t” part - and the line is still true.

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  • January 30, 2009 4:59 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Health

• LA County Federation of Labor backs gas workers strike

  The 5,000 union workers at the Southern California Gas Company say they’re ready to go on strike. Their current contract expires at midnight tomorrow, and the two sides are still far apart on key issues including pensions, medical benefits, and sick pay.

  The Utility Workers Union local got some backup today from the L.A. County Federation of Labor – it represents 350 area labor unions. Federation head Maria Elena Durazo said everybody hopes the Gas Company employees can reach a deal.

  Maria Elena Durazo: “But in case that the workers decide to move forward with a strike, UPS drivers, sanitation workers, teachers, actors, security officers, janitors, longshore workers, laundry and hotel workers, port drivers, nurses, and the rest of the hundreds of thousands of workers in the L.A. labor movement are standing with them in solidarity.”

  Durazo said the federation will offer support on the picket line, through food drives and financial assistance for striking workers. Negotiators from the gas company and the union are meeting this afternoon with a federal mediator.

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  • January 30, 2009 3:28 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• California legislature may vote on budget next week

  California’s legislature reportedly may vote on a budget next week. Legislative leaders are still negotiating over how to close the state’s $42 billion deficit.

  The debate has centered on spending cuts and tax raises, but Assemblyman Roger Niello told KPCC’s Larry Mantle another important issue is budget reform. Niello and other Republicans have been calling for a cap on state spending.

  Roger Niello: “What we need is a restriction on our ability to grow spending in good times so that we force ourselves to have reserves. That is an ongoing need. We believe it needs to be in the constitution, which means that the voters would have to approve it.”

  Niello told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that he wants a permanent cap and would not be satisfied with a temporary one. Niello is vice chair of the Assembly Budget Committee.

  Assembly Speaker Karen Bass says she’s hopeful the legislature will vote soon on a budget.

  Tools

  • January 30, 2009 3:26 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Police union says LAPD should mandate helmets

  The union representing LAPD officers today filed a formal grievance over how commanders handled a recent pro-Palestinian demonstration. The union argues commanders jeopardized officer safety by not allowing them to wear helmets. As KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports, department brass has long debated the issue.

  Frank Stoltze: Cops look pretty fierce in their helmets and riot gear. Some argue the look is intimidating - and can raise anxiety levels and even provoke confrontations during crowd control. That’s why commanders at a recent pro-Palestinian rally decided against ordering officers to use their helmets.

  The LAPD argues officers had the option of wearing them. The union says commanders should have mandated helmets, and point to an officer who was hit in the head at the rally with a wooden post as evidence that officer safety was ignored.

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  • January 30, 2009 3:19 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• California legislators not counting on government stimulus

  The U.S. Senate is scheduled to begin debating next week on the economic stimulus bill. The version the House passed this week would direct $32 billion to California, but it’s unclear whether that will remain in the Senate version.

  Assembly Speaker Karen Bass told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that she and other legislative leaders are not counting on that money to close the state’s massive budget deficit.

  Karen Bass: “We anticipate and we have to be prepared for a deficit that might reappear again. In other words if revenues continue to go down, after we close the $42 billion deficit, then that’s where the federal stimulus money would come into play.”

  Bass says she and other legislative leaders have been meeting with the governor every day to try and reach a budget deal. She hopes the legislature will vote on a budget soon.

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  • January 30, 2009 2:56 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Lands Commission: No new drilling off California coast

  The State Lands Commission has rejected a proposal that could have allowed new drilling off the Santa Barbara coast.

  Last year Central Coast environmental groups announced they would support a bid by Plains Exploration to drill new oil wells. In exchange, the company agreed to end operations within 13 years. Commission member and state Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi said that didn’t persuade him to get behind the deal.

  Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi: “I am not convinced that the main benefit of this bargain is achievable or enforceable. In addition to that, this issue goes far beyond the California coast. It is precedent setting.”

  California’s Lands Commission hasn’t approved proposals for new offshore drilling in more than 40 years. Garamendi said that voting for the proposal would send the wrong message to federal authorities, and to other states.

  LINK: California State Lands Commission

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  • January 29, 2009 6:51 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• L.A. city leaders promise more sophisticated gang intervention efforts

  Los Angeles city officials promise more focus on gang prevention and intervention under a set of initiatives unveiled today. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: The mayor’s Gang Reduction and Youth Development Director Jeff Carr says L.A. intends to better identify kids who need help.

  Jeff Carr: So now our prevention is focused on the kids that – through a whole research-based screening system – are targeting the kids that really are most at risk of joining a gang, not just any kid that lives in the neighborhood.

  Stoltze: The city’s setting up a new training academy for gang intervention workers. It’s dismantled the Bridges program and refocused resources on the 12 most violent neighborhoods.

  Carr: I mean, this is radically different than what the city’s done in the past.

  Stoltze: LAPD Chief Bill Bratton promises that police will work more closely with gang interventionists, many of whom are former gang members. He said he’ll also assign more officers to gang crime, and add a unit to seek out gangsters’ cars for traffic violations. The chief predicted that the combined efforts would serve as a “national model.”

  Note: Chief Bratton pledges the new anti-gang initiatives will lead to a 15percent reduction in gang crime this year.

  Tools

  • January 29, 2009 6:40 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Amazon, Netflix prosper amid recession

  During a week in which companies from Starbucks to Shell announced dismal quarterly results, some businesses are reporting that times are pretty good. Online retailer Amazon enjoyed a strong fourth quarter.

  So did movie rental company Netflix, said spokesman Steve Swasey. He told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that one reason is that the company anticipated what cost-conscious customers want.

  Steve Swasey: “Netflix changed the way Americans rent movies about 10 years ago and we’re doing it again. And, Netflix makes it very easy for consumers to get movies very cost-effectively, very convenient, with great selection. And, I think all those things put together are a comfort for consumers in this economy.”

  The value of Netflix shares rose 15 percent the day it announced its quarterly results. Swasey said the company’s hiring in its software development, engineering, and finance departments.

  Tools

  • January 29, 2009 5:30 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Attorneys for Glendale crash victims blame engineer

  The Metrolink train crash almost four years ago in Glendale killed 11 people and injured more than 180. Attorneys for a dozen victims of the crash said today the train’s derailment was its engineer’s fault. KPCC’s Brian Watt has more.

  Brian Watt: The commuter train derailed after it hit a sport utility vehicle that Juan Alvarez left on the tracks. A jury convicted Alvarez of murder last August. But since then, attorneys Brian Panish and Jerry Ringler have taken a deposition from the train’s engineer and combined it with data from the train’s black box.

  Their sequence of events suggests the engineer noticed something shiny on the tracks three-quarters of a mile from the vehicle. At about 1,600 feet away, Ringler said, the engineer applied the service brake when he should have applied the emergency brake.

  Jerry Ringler: “Where he finally applies the emergency, six seconds late, he’s 872 feet back from impact, and that’s the difference between a derailment and no derailment – and the difference between the lives that were lost and having no injuries whatsoever.”

  The attorneys are suing Metrolink for negligence on behalf of a dozen crash victims. They expect to argue their case in L.A. County Superior Court in June.

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  • January 29, 2009 5:27 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Metro tests trains on Eastside extension of the Gold Line

  Four-and-a-half years after crews started to build the Metro Gold Line extension, trains are on the tracks. The light rail line to Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles isn’t open yet.

  But the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s begun running its first test trains along the new route from Union Station to Atlantic Station near East L.A. Community College. Tom Jasmin, manager of Metro’s Gold Line operations, says people are excited about seeing this preview of coming attractions.

  Tom Jasmin: [Horns and train squeals] “We’ve actually seen them come out of their homes, come out of their businesses, clapping and waving. Cars, trucks driving by have been tooting and waving when the train goes by.

  “People have driven around the block to take a look at the passing trains. The buses that come out here have standing loads, and to reduce those loads, that’s the idea of being out here.”

  When the $900 million project opens this summer, Metro passengers will be able to ride a single light rail line from Pasadena to East Los Angeles.

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  • January 29, 2009 5:01 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Mayor, chief unveil new gang initiatives

  Los Angeles Police Chief Bill Bratton today pledged to reduce falling gang violence by another 15 percent this year. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports that Bratton made the promise as he and the mayor introduced a set of new gang initiatives.

  Frank Stoltze: Bratton said the new approach will allow the LAPD to work more closely with gang intervention workers.

  Bill Bratton: Instantly, as soon as that BlackBerry message comes over that we have had a shooting, we’ll be reaching out to the gang units, we’ll be reaching out to the intervention workers to start flooding that neighborhood to basically prevent retaliation.

  Stoltze: Gang intervention workers - many of them ex-gang members - will go through a new training academy. Four hundred LAPD cops will undergo specialized gang instruction.

  The chief’s also created a new unit that’ll seek out gang members’ cars for traffic violations, and he’s assigned a night commander to focus resources where they’re most needed. The chief and mayor said there’s no new money for the effort, but they predicted the initiatives would become a national model for fighting gang violence.

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  • January 29, 2009 4:55 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Controller says nearly $3 million in tax refunds could be delayed

  California’s severe cash shortage means that close to 3 million people won’t get tax refund checks next month. The state must use the money – nearly $2 billion - to pay off a huge backlog of bills.

  Hallye Jordan is a spokeswoman for state Controller John Chiang. She says he’s spent much of his career helping people figure out how to file their taxes and get refunds fast. So…

  Hallye Jordan: “For him to have to now delay these 30 days is painful and frustrating. He’s angry that’s he’s being forced into this situation because of a lack of any solutions from the Legislature and the governor. This goes against everything he’s pushed for for years.”

  The money will begin to flow back into the state treasury once the governor and top lawmakers come up with a solution for the California’s $42 billion budget deficit. But nobody knows how fast the state can replenish its cash reserves, so Jordan says tax refund delays might continue beyond February.

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  • January 29, 2009 4:43 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Sacramento Superior Court judge favors governor's furlough plan

  The governor’s plan to impose two unpaid days a month on state employees got a go-ahead from a judge in Sacramento today. KPCC’s Julia Mitric has the story.

  Julia Mitric: The Sacramento Superior Court judge ruled in a lawsuit public employee unions had filed challenging the legality of the furlough order. Judge Patrick Marlette determined that the state’s budget crisis counts as an emergency situation - and that gives the governor the authority he needs.

  Unions including the Professional Engineers in California Government are maintaining that the judge is out of bounds. They plan to appeal the decision - and to ask the court to suspend the furlough order. It’s scheduled to take effect next Friday.

  Tools

  • January 29, 2009 4:36 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Attorneys for 2005 Metrolink crash victims say operator at fault

  Attorneys for victims of the Metrolink train crash almost four years ago in Glendale claim the train’s engineer was at fault. The train derailed after it hit a sport utility vehicle left on the tracks. Last August a jury convicted the driver of that vehicle – Juan Alvarez – of murder.

  Attorney Jerry Ringler said the train’s engineer noticed a reflection from Alvarez’ vehicle when the train was three-quarters of a mile away, but didn’t apply the emergency brakes for another six seconds.

  Jerry Ringler: “The train engineer testified in December at deposition that when he saw the vehicle across the track, he was obligated to place his train into emergency and that if he failed to do so, he violated Metrolink’s own rules. The black box showed that he failed to do so.”

  Ringler and another attorney are suing Metrolink for negligence on behalf of a dozen victims. They expect to argue their case in L.A. County Superior Court in June.

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  • January 29, 2009 4:30 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Transportation

• Court ruling favors governor's furlough plan

  California’s budget crisis is emergency enough for the governor to order state employees to take two unpaid days off every month. That’s what a Sacramento Superior Court judge has ruled in a lawsuit those workers had filed challenging the legality of the furlough order.

  Unions including the Professional Engineers in California Government plan to appeal the decision. The furlough’s scheduled to take effect next Friday. If that happens, union representative Bruce Blanning says anyone who relies on state services will notice.

  Bruce Blanning: “Whether it’s keeping a state office open so you can renew your driver’s license - or whether it’s getting projects ready to go out to construction and create construction jobs. So it affects everybody.”

  State Controller John Chiang also opposed the governor’s plan in court. But after the judge’s ruling he says he’ll follow the court’s order. Chiang says the cuts to workers’ salaries won’t solve the California’s serious cash shortage - he’ll still have to delay state tax refunds and college grants starting next week.

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  • January 29, 2009 4:28 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Cardinal puzzled by grand jury investigation reports

  Cardinal Roger Mahony says he’s puzzled by reports that he’s under investigation. The Los Angeles Times reports that U.S. Attorney Thomas O’Brien has launched a federal grand jury investigation into the way L.A.’s Roman Catholic cardinal dealt with priests accused of sexual abuse.

  Two sources told the Times that the investigation is looking into whether Mahony committed fraud by failing to remove the priests from direct contact with children. L.A. Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg told KPCC’s “AirTalk” he’s frustrated by the leaks.

  Tod Tamberg: “We kind of are wondering why this was done, who did it, what their purpose was, and none of us really know what the focus of this investigation is about.”

  Tamberg said the Archdiocese knew that subpoenas had been issued, but added that his understanding is that Mahony is not the target of the investigation.

  The Times reports that authorities are seeking to use a federal statute that makes it illegal to scheme to deprive others of the “right of honest services.” Under that theory, the idea is that Mahony was responsible for keeping children safe from abusive priests.

  Tools

  • January 29, 2009 4:17 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Religion/Spirituality

• US Attorney launches grand jury investigation of Catholic cardinal

  The U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles has reportedly launched a federal grand jury investigation into Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger Mahony. But a spokesman for the L.A. Archdiocese is denying that Mahony is the target.

  Two law enforcement sources told the Los Angeles Times that the investigation focuses on whether Mahony committed fraud by failing to adequately deal with priests who were accused of sexual abuse.

  KPCC’s Larry Mantle asked Archdiocese spokesman Tod Tamberg about Mahony’s reaction to the report.

  Tod Tamberg: “Well, the cardinal has said he’s puzzled and I think I would add to that, there’s a sense of frustration here in the way that this investigation has been brought to light.”

  In a statement yesterday, Mahony’s attorney called for an internal investigation into the leak.

  The Times reports that authorities are using a novel legal theory as part of their investigation. They’re trying to determine whether Mahony deprived parishioners of the right to honest services. The federal statute usually applies to people who defraud others of money.

  Tools

  • January 29, 2009 4:11 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Religion/Spirituality

• State education leaders oppose proposed education funding

  California education leaders today blasted Governor Schwarzenegger’s new proposals for mid-year education cuts. The governor’s office says a sharp drop in revenues has forced it to recalculate the education funding guarantees it made last year. The result would be $7 billion less to schools for this fiscal year.

  Members of the Education Coalition said school districts would have to close public school campuses for 34 days and increase class sizes. Superintendent of Schools Jack O’Connell spoke with reporters in a teleconference.

  Jack O’Connell: “This is an absolute shame and I’d like to strongly urge the governor and the legislature to think twice about reducing public education to such a bare bones level of funding, because we owe our kids more than just the minimum. We owe them the guarantee of our commitment to their future.”

  The governor’s finance department says some relief may be in sight. A spokesman said school budgets would recover next year if the legislature approves the governor’s plan to raise California’s sales tax and taxes on sporting events and alcoholic drinks.

  Tools

  • January 29, 2009 1:01 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Plane crash at Santa Monica airport kills 2

  Santa Monica’s airport is open again after a plane crash late yesterday afternoon killed two people. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has more on the story.

  Cheryl Devall: Shortly after it took off around sunset, a red Marchetti two-seater aircraft lost power to its single engine. The pilot apparently tried to return to the Santa Monica Airport.

  The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. Witnesses told investigator-in-charge Patrick Jones that the plane stalled and spun before it crashed in flames on the north side of the runway.

  The investigation shut down the airport overnight. Before authorities released the identities of the people aboard the plane, the aviation Web site Airliners.net posted a memorial to its general manager, 46-year-old Paulo Emanuele, naming him as the pilot.

  Tools

  • January 29, 2009 12:01 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• L.A. City Council votes to continue pachyderm forest habitat

  At least 400 construction jobs connected to the Los Angeles Zoo’s Pachyderm Forest Exhibit will continue for now. The L.A. City Council voted today to move forward with the project and keep Billy the elephant at the zoo. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario has more on the reaction in council chambers after the vote.

  Patricia Nazario: Council members voted after two hours of debate and emotional testimony from hundreds of people for and against the planned Pachyderm Forest habitat. Councilman Tom LaBonge summarized what their decision means.

  Councilman Tom LaBonge: We move forward with the project as planned and as voted on by the people of Los Angeles. (sound of applause)

  Nazario: That was the side of the aisle where Billy’s handlers, zoo officials, and some construction workers were crammed into the pews. On the other side of chambers, and the issue, was a crowd that included pop icon Cher. The singer spoke to reporters after the council vote.

  Cher: I’m furious! These people &ndash I can’t say that they’ve killed these 14 elephants since 1975, but, you know, if someone was under my care and they died, I’d be responsible, and it would be a huge thing.

  Nazario: The council didn’t base its vote on Gita, the 50-year-old Asian elephant that died almost two-and-a-half years ago at the L.A. Zoo. The animal had suffered from years of foot disease and arthritis. Instead, lawmakers decided that most fisically responsible option was to continue with construction.

  Tools

  • January 28, 2009 6:15 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• L.A. Times: Federal fraud investigation targets Cardinal Roger Mahony, L.A. Archdiocese

  The Los Angeles Times says the U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles has launched a grand jury investigation into Cardinal Roger Mahony and the clergy sexual abuse scandal in the L.A. Archdiocese. KPCC’s Nick Roman has more.

  Nick Roman: The L.A. Times reports that federal prosecutors intend to pursue a novel legal theory in this case. They’re looking into whether Cardinal Mahony committed fraud as he dealt with allegations of sexual abuse by priests.

  Abuse victims have claimed for years that Mahony and others within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese covered up the scandal by moving priests from parish to parish. To get a criminal case into court, federal prosecutors would have to show that Mahony used mail or other communication to deprive Catholics in L.A. of “honest services.”

  The L.A. Times refers to information from two law enforcement sources who are familiar with the investigation, but who refused to speak on the record.

  An attorney for the cardinal says federal prosecutors have contacted the Archdiocese. He says church officials will cooperate with them. He also says he’s been told that Cardinal Mahony is not a target of the investigation.

  LINK: L.A. Times article

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  • January 28, 2009 5:53 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Religion/Spirituality

• Culver City police officer killed in wrong-way collision

  Culver City Police have released the name of the officer killed in this morning’s head-on collision on the 10 freeway. Sergeant Curtis Massey was driving to work around five in the morning when his department-issued Dodge Charger ran into a late-model Toyota Camry headed in the wrong direction.

  Massey was 41 years old; he’d worked 17 years for the Culver City Police Department. Chief Don Pedersen called him a dear friend and a dedicated colleague, who’d earned the department’s highest honors.

  Chief Don Pedersen: “Curt had a very deep and special interest in working with the youth in this community, and outside this community. He was very active in our juvenile diversion program, and he touched the lives of hundreds of young men and women in this city.”

  Police have not named the other driver killed in the accident. They have identified him as a 21-year-old man from Van Nuys.

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  • January 28, 2009 5:49 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Transportation

• Schwarzenegger says it's either furloughs or layoffs for California state workers

  Governor Schwarzenegger says the unions for state workers have a choice: Accept his order to furlough their members for two days a month, or risk layoffs.

  The governor says his order will conserve cash until lawmakers work up a balanced budget for this year and next. He told reporters in Sacramento today that unless he gets the furloughs, he’ll have to lay off state workers.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Labor has the choice. They can help us in making the decision on how we save the $1.4 billion. Our recommendation was furloughs, where everyone takes a little haircut, rather than laying people off.”

  The governor’s order requires state employees to stay home two days a month, unpaid, beginning next week. Public employee unions and the State Controller are challenging the governor in court. A ruling on the furlough order could come this week.

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  • January 28, 2009 5:46 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Geologist discusses whether small tremors foretell larger quakes

  After 15 years of relative quiet, the last six months have delivered enough little earthquakes to arouse worry in seismology circles. Lisa Grant Ludwig teaches public health and social ecology at UC Irvine. She told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that several hundreds of faults all over California can generate earthquakes.

  Lisa Grant Ludwig: “The Northridge fault is actually a fairly small one compared to the San Andreas. And most geologists were not aware of it. We all discovered at the same time as other residents of Southern California when it woke us up early in the morning of January 17, 1994.”

  Ludwig said that preparation – making sure you keep bottled water, non-perishable food, and other survival supplies close at hand – is a better approach than worry when it comes to earthquakes.

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  • January 28, 2009 5:39 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• ACLU asks Orange County Sheriff to change taser policy

  A civil rights group doesn’t like the Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s policy when it comes to tasers. So KPCC’s Susan Valot says the group is asking the sheriff for changes.

  Susan Valot: The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California says the Orange County Sheriff’s Department has an “inadequate” taser policy. It says the sheriff’s policy doesn’t take into account concerns about the safety of tasers.

  The ACLU says in last three years, five people in Orange County died after they were zapped with tasers… part of what it says is a national trend of more deaths linked to tasers.

  The ACLU sent a letter to Sheriff Sandra Hutchens asking that deputies use tasers only when they’re in life-threatening situations. The civil rights group wants the sheriff to do a better job of tracking taser use in her department; to make that information available to the public. And the ACLU wants Sheriff’s Department supervisors to be called out every time an Orange County deputy uses a taser.

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  • January 28, 2009 5:35 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• LAUSD administrators oppose teachers' refusal to administer tests

  Los Angeles Unified’s teachers’ union is telling its members to boycott a student test it calls unnecessary and costly. More on the story from KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: The union has complained about the math and English assessments for years. The school district makes most students take the test to measure progress. The union said this week that the district should scratch the assessment to save money and avert some budget cuts.

  L.A. Unified superintendent Ramon Cortines credits the assessments with improved academic achievement. Besides, he said, they’re mandatory.

  Ramon Cortines: This district was cited by the state because of our schools not making academic progress. And the settlement that we agreed to was we would put in place an accountability system.

  In a letter to all employees, Cortines said the test is part of teachers’ jobs. He added that he doesn’t want disagreement to turn into confrontation.

  L.A. Unified’s still facing budget cuts, Cortines said last week, but the district won’t lay off beginning teachers to save money.

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  • January 28, 2009 5:07 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Lofgren comments on being named House Ethics Committee chair

  The latest Californian named to head a congressional committee is Democrat Zoe Lofgren of San Jose. Lofgren talked with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” about her new job as chair of the House ethics committee.

  Zoe Lofgren: “The real value of it is to make sure that the public is able to have confidence in their system of government, that they know there’s a watchdog that’s going to make sure that they can rely on the people that they elect, that’s why it’s so very important.”

  Lofgren has to deal with a delicate case right off the bat – the ethics committee is investigating allegations of financial wrongdoing by one of Congress’s most powerful members: Democrat Charles Rangel of New York.

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  • January 28, 2009 4:49 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• LA City Council votes to continue pachyderm forest habitat

  The Los Angeles Zoo is on track to open its new elephant habitat in about a year and a half. The L.A. City Council voted today to continue construction on the $42 million Pachyderm Forest project.

  For 14 years, Vicky Guarnett has worked with elephants at the zoo including its present occupant Billy, and Gita, a female that died there two and a half years ago. Guarnett said after the council vote that the zoo offers its animals world-class veterinary care.

  Vicky Guarnett: “How can I tell somebody that they’re not gonna lose their grandfather? How can I tell someone they’re not gonna lose a loved one at 40 from cancer? You can’t guarantee anything. Gita was well taken care of, well loved, and she was 52 years old when she passed away with heart problems.”

  Hundreds of people – including Bob Barker, Cher, and Lily Tomlin – crowded the city council chambers to speak against the Pachyderm Forest. Some who testified also urged the zoo to move the Billy to an elephant sanctuary with more room than the six-acre enclosure under construction.

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  • January 28, 2009 4:35 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA Unified names new school after desegregation activists

  L.A. Unified’s Board of Education has voted to name one of its brand new schools after the people who filed a pathbreaking desegregation case in Orange County. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Lawyers for Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez successfully argued in 1946 that their children should attend a nearby all-white school in Westminster instead of the segregated school farther away.

  The case ended legal public school segregation in California. Eight years later the U.S. Supreme Court made a similar, national judgment in the case Brown versus Board of Education.

  L.A. Unified Board President Monica Garcia said a school should carry the Mendez name to shed light on the family’s struggle for civil rights.

  The Boyle Heights high school joins many other new L.A. Unified campuses named after noteworthy Latinos, living and dead. The school board’s named schools after the late L.A. Times journalist Frank Del Olmo, Texas painter Carmen Lomas Garza, and former state legislator Martha Escutia.

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  • January 28, 2009 4:22 PM
  • Categories: Education, History

• Peanut butter product recall expanded

  California public health authorities have expanded the recall of peanut butter cookies and dough sold in school fundraisers. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says 25 Southland schools may have sold products contaminated with the salmonella bacteria.

  Cheryl Devall: The source of the peanut butter is a processing plant in Georgia that federal regulators say kept producing even after inspections turned up signs of contamination. Peanut products from that facility have sickened more than 500 people in 43 states.

  Those products don’t include jars of peanut butter in stores. They do include the peanut butter in Dough-to-Go and Jane Dough cookie batter - two companies that distribute to schools and other fundraising organizations. The dough in question sold between last August and January 16 of this year.

  The list of schools that sold the products includes 11 in Riverside County, five in Los Angeles County, four schools in Orange County, and two in San Bernardino County.

  A full list of the schools involved - and the potentially contaminated product codes - is available on the California Department of Public Health Web site. So far, the state has not traced any illnesses to these products - but the recall is in effect because salmonella can cause serious infections.

  Link: California Department of Public Health

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  • January 28, 2009 3:36 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Investigator says Wilmington man who killed family in deep debt

  We’re learning more about the Wilmington man who apparently killed his family before turning the gun on himself yesterday. KPCC’s Susan Valot says the lead investigator has released more details.

  Susan Valot: That investigator says Ervin Lupoe was deep in debt when he killed his wife, five children, and himself. LAPD detective David Cortez says Lupoe was at least a month behind on his mortgage, owed thousands of dollars on credit cards, and owed the Internal Revenue Service at least $15,000.

  Lupoe and his wife were fired recently from their medical tech jobs at the Kaiser Permanente hospital in West L.A. They allegedly lied about their income to try to qualify for cheaper childcare.

  Investigators say the couple pulled their kids out of school last week and planned to move in with a relative in Kansas. Detectives found the Lupoe’s SUV packed with children’s clothing and snow chains. It’s not clear why that trip didn’t happen.

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  • January 28, 2009 3:08 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice

• Campaign launched to get more to claim earned income tax credit

  A campaign is on in the Southland to get more qualified low-income families to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. Families with two or more children who earn around $40,000 a year or less can get almost 5,000 of those dollars back.

  But they have to file for it, and 20 percent of eligible Californians don’t. Alicia Lara of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles says that’s because many taxpayers don’t know it applies to them.

  Alicia Lara: “A lot of people think that it’s like welfare or something like that. And what people need to understand about Earned Income Tax - it’s something that you put into the system and earn back. It’s your money, and so, by not filing, you’re leaving money - your own money - on the table.”

  The United Way is working with government agencies and non-profits throughout Los Angeles to spread the word about the Earned Income Tax Credit – and to provide free income tax assistance to those who qualify. More information is available online at EITC-LA.com.

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  • January 28, 2009 3:00 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• San Gabriel Valley congressman talks about problems with stimulus

  The Obama administration’s economic stimulus bill isn’t perfect, admits Adam Schiff, a Democrat who represents much of the San Gabriel Valley in Congress.

  Adam Schiff: “The basic challenge here is – I think we’re trying to do two things at one time, some of which is in conflict with the other. And that is, we want to immediately create jobs; we want to immediately stimulus the economy.

  “And in terms of infrastructure, that means that we want to put money in things that are shovel-ready, that are ready to go. At the same time we want to make investments in the country that will lead to long-term economic growth and prosperity.”

  Schiff told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that the 800-plus billion dollar bill is better than doing nothing to address the recession. Republicans in Congress tend to disagree - very few plan to support the bill when it comes up for a vote.

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  • January 28, 2009 2:45 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• San Bernardino County hires prosecutor to investigate assessor

  San Bernardino County is increasing the pressure on embattled assessor Bill Postmus. He was arrested last month on drug charges - and his office is the target of a fraud and corruption probe. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas says county supervisors have hired a former federal prosecutor to investigate ways to remove Postmus from office.

  Steven Cuevas: John Hueston was lead prosecutor three years ago in the trial of the top bosses at failed energy giant Enron. Now he’ll lead the probe of Assessor Bill Postmus. San Bernardino County supervisors are looking for sufficient grounds to remove him from office.

  David Wert: One of the causes for action would be neglect or abandonment of duties.

  Cuevas: County spokesman David Wert says the county can remove an elected official from office who’s been convicted of a felony - or who’s violated a law related to the duties of the office.

  Wert: So, whatever the board comes up with has to be defensible in court, which is why the board would need a special counsel to actually make the findings, because these are things that county may have to defend in court.

  The law intentionally makes it very difficult for an elected body to overrule the voters of the decision they made on Election Day by electing him into office.

  Cuevas: The county investigation of Bill Postmus is expected to last about six weeks. His legal troubles will persist longer than that. Postmus faces felony drug possession charges.

  Prosecutors say a raid of his home and office last month turned up methamphetamine. Last year, a grand jury accused Postmus of using his office for partisan politics – and rewarding cronies with jobs.

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  • January 28, 2009 2:40 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• OC Republican congressman Campbell opposes stimulus bill

  Congress is likely to approve an $800 billion economic stimulus package - but only because the Democratic majority will vote in its favor. John Campbell, a Republican who represents much of South Orange County in Congress, echoes others in his party who believe the package doesn’t do enough to rescue the economy.

  John Campbell: “In words or in a phrase, I think is just not stimulative. I actually support a stimulus package. I supported the rescue package back in October, and certainly from the perspective of California, but all around the country, this economy is terrible. The government does need to take action to try to make this recession shallower and shorter.”

  Campbell spoke with KPCC’s “AirTalk.” Other Republicans argue that the money is going primarily to Democratic priorities. President Barack Obama has urged bipartisan support for the package, saying “we’ll invest in what works.”

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  • January 28, 2009 2:32 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Emergency room doctors sue state over inadequate funding

  A group of California emergency room doctors is suing the state. They argue that California has failed to adequately fund an emergency room system that’s been in decline for decades.

  Dr. Irv Edwards is a plaintiff in the class action lawsuit. He directs emergency services at Mission Community Hospital in Panorama City.

  Irv Edwards: “The emergency departments are loosely called ‘the safety net.’ And we’ve watching this simply tatter and tear to the point that we felt we needed to sound the battle cry that citizens and residents of the counties of California may not be able to access emergency care when they need it the most.”

  Edwards spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle. The ER doctors claim that, because the state doesn’t reimburse them enough for treating Medi-Cal patients, they often have to subsidize treatments. The suit also claims that cardiologists and other specialists are not willing to volunteer their services at emergency rooms because of the low Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. The state hasn’t yet commented on the suit.

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  • January 28, 2009 1:29 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Attorney general files motion to terminate health care receivership

  State Attorney General Jerry Brown is calling for an end to federal oversight of the state’s prison health care system. Brown described federally-appointed prison receiver Clark Kelso’s $8 billion proposal for new, improved prisons as boondoggle the state can’t afford.

  Jerry Brown: “And what the receiver’s become is a parallel government, operating virtually in secret, not accountable, not subject to public scrutiny. And the result of that is this wild spending – that far exceeds what the constitution requires and far exceeds what California is capable of.”

  During a state capitol press conference today, Brown conceded that Kelso has helped to improve the quality of medical care for inmates in recent years. But he insists it’s time for the state to reassert its responsibility for prison health care. Brown has filed a motion in federal court to terminate the federal receivership.

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  • January 28, 2009 11:57 AM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Health, Politics/Public Affairs

• Attorney general seeks to terminate prison health care federal receiver

  The state is filing a motion to terminate the federally-appointed receiver in charge of improving health care in California prisons. Attorney General Jerry Brown says the state will also ask a federal judge to terminate the $8 billion plan that receiver Clark Kelso has proposed to build more prison medical facilities.

  Jerry Brown: “We maintain now it’s time to return the management of our prisons to the people who are authorized by law to do that. What’s happened in the interim, like any good idea it’s gone to excess, and what the receiver’s become is a parallel government, operating virtually in secret, not accountable, not subject to public scrutiny.”

  Brown accuses Kelso of engaging in wild spending that far exceeds what the constitution requires. State officials also insist that the health care system has improved and is no longer in need of federal oversight.

  Kelso told the Los Angeles Times that the state’s impending move was “outrageous” and would lead to more unnecessary deaths and suffering among inmates.

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  • January 28, 2009 11:49 AM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Health

• L.A. Opera announces additional layoffs, pay cuts

  Los Angeles Opera administrators said today that the slumping economy’s forcing them to carry out a second round of layoffs at the 22-year-old company. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Eight people lost their jobs at the L.A. Opera. Added to the nine people cut a couple of months ago, that equals nearly one fifth of the company’s employees; people who worked to market, produce, and otherwise ensure that “Madama Butterfly” and “Carmen” made their curtain calls this season.

  Chief Operating Officer Stephen Roundtree says the L.A. Opera’s suffering from soft ticket sales. Less investment income for some of its major donors also translates into fewer big contributions. Roundtree says the organization will cut the pay of remaining employees by an average of six percent.

  Stephen Roundtree: Placido Domingo who is, of course, the general director of the company, is taking an eight percent cut, and also he has not taken any salary for the past year.

  Guzman-Lopez: Layoffs and salary cuts will save the opera about half a million dollars in its budget of more than $60 million. Also straining the L.A. Opera’s resources is the extravagant $6 million production this year and next of the four operas in Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle. But Roundtree predicts that production won’t break L.A. Opera, because advance ticket sales are strong.

  LINK: L.A. Opera

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  • January 27, 2009 5:57 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Apparent murder-suicide a 'despondent familicide'

  There’s a name in criminology circles for the apparent murder-suicide that claimed the lives of seven members of the Lupoe family in Wilmington. Louis Schlesinger, a forensic psychologist at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that men like the father in this case commit “despondent familicide.”

  Louis Schlesinger: “They develop a fixed idea that the solution to their problem is to kill the future victim, and in this case to kill multiple victims of family. The idea starts very slowly, it grabs them. And their thinking becomes very narrow and very focused. And unfortunately, when they act out it’s just a horrible, horrible situation.”

  Schlesinger said that interviews with offenders who survive these incidents reveal that they regard the homicides as an effort to save their victims from humiliation or financial ruin.

  Investigators in this case have not established a clear motive for Lupoe’s suicide or the shooting deaths of his wife and five children. Officials at Kaiser Permanente West L.A. Medical Center have acknowledged that the husband and wife used to work there.

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  • January 27, 2009 4:23 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Mother of quintuplets offers advice for octuplet parents

  The parents of healthy octuplets born last night in Bellflower are adjusting to a daunting new reality. KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” asked Courtnee Stevenson, mother of quintuplets born almost three years ago in western Washington, to describe what the new parents can expect.

  Courtnee Stevenson: “This is a tough life, and it’s tough on a marriage, and it’s tough on a soul and the spirit. And every day it’s hard, and I have my ups and my downs. And it’s just trying to find that equal balance to where you feel as a person that you’re being appreciated, and that’s hard when you have this many kids.”

  Stevenson’s advice for the new mother is to not feel bad about taking handouts from people who want to help, because she’ll need them. She also suggested that the Southland parents connect with other multiple-birth couples online for support and information. When their five babies arrived, Stevenson and her husband were already the parents of a 3-year-old daughter.

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  • January 27, 2009 4:16 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Quintuplet mother comments on octuplet birth

  Ready or not, the lives of a Southland couple have changed with the birth of eight healthy babies. Courtnee Stevenson, the mother of quintuplets who are almost three years old, shared some insights about what the new parents are in for with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  Courtnee Stevenson: “The hospital kind of set us up with a really good way to do things. We put together a chart and we had a checklist of who had bottles, bowel movements, potty diapers, and who’s had a bath, and we weighed them every night to make sure they were gaining weight properly.”

  Stevenson said several volunteers helped her and her husband with their five newborns. The neonatology staff at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center told reporters that the octuplets there are in good shape even though they’re nine weeks premature.

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  • January 27, 2009 4:02 PM
  • Categories: Health

• LA City Council designates Griffith Park as historic-cultural monument

  Griffith Park isn’t just the biggest urban park in the country. Now it’s a historic-cultural monument. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has more on the Los Angeles City Council’s designation today.

  Molly Peterson: The park was born 113 years ago when Griffith J. Griffith donated thousands of acres of Los Feliz Rancho to the city of Los Angeles. More than 4,000 acres big today, it’s home to dozens of historically significant elements - the Greek Theatre, a majestic observatory, the Hollywood Sign.

  The park’s new status - a unanimous gift of the city council - isn’t absolute: the Toyon Landfill and the freeways running through it, for example, aren’t monuments now. But the parts that are enjoy more legal protections. That means development there will require more scrutiny to a higher standard.

  Some city departments are still hammering out how monument status might affect normal operations in the future. The designation’s important to local activists who worried when a draft of the park’s master plan four years ago included commercial development.

  Councilman Tom LaBonge, in whose district the park sits, and who hikes the park frequently, says he’s planning a celebration of the park’s new status this spring.

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  • January 27, 2009 3:31 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• California Republicans among House members meeting with Obama

  The House of Representatives takes up President Obama’s economic stimulus package tomorrow. The president went to Capitol Hill today to see if he could win over Republican lawmakers. KPCC’s Special Correspondent Kitty Felde spoke with one California congressman who was in that meeting.

  Kitty Felde: During more than 20 years in the State Legislature, Tom McClintock built a solid reputation as a fiscal conservative from Thousand Oaks. He’s in Congress now – and lives in the Sierra foothills.

  But he’s the same fiscal conservative - so it’s not surprising that he opposes President Obama’s economic stimulus package. But McClintock says he welcomed the president’s visit to Capitol Hill to seek advice and counsel from Republicans in Congress.

  Congressman Tom McClintock: We’re certainly going to do everything we can to assist him in crafting something that will get bipartisan support, but what’s coming up on the House floor.

  Felde: Even before President Obama stepped foot on a snowy Capitol Hill, Republican leaders made it clear GOP members would vote against the stimulus package unless it’s revised. McClintock says he might shift his position if the president tosses in bigger cuts in corporate and capital gains taxes.

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  • January 27, 2009 3:18 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Police investigate apparent family murder-suicide

  Los Angeles police are trying to get to the bottom of an apparent murder-suicide that left seven people dead in Wilmington. The dead include a mother, a father, and their five children. It happened this morning. KPCC’s Susan Valot has been on the scene in Wilmington, a few blocks from Banning Park.

  Susan Valot: Police say a man faxed a two-page letter to a local TV station, saying he was upset over problems at his job and planned to kill his family and himself. LAPD Deputy Chief Kenneth Warner:

  Kenneth Warner: The suspect in this murder called not only Channel 7, but also called our communications division. We’re not exactly sure if it was him, but a man called saying that he’d just returned home and that his family had been killed. Officers came out within minutes and found the grisly scene.

  Valot: The entire family had been shot - 2-year-old twin boys, 5-year-old twin girls, an 8-year-old girl, the mother and the father. Warner says officers found a revolver near the father.

  Warner: It’s a family tragedy and it’s our worst fear in these tough times, having people who don’t see any alternative to finding a way out of either financial problems or job problems.

  Valot: Kaiser Permanente Medical Center West Los Angeles has confirmed that the parents were former employees at the hospital. The two have been identified as Ervin Antonio Lupoe and his wife Ana. The reason for the apparent murder-suicide is not clear. Right now, investigators say they have more questions than answers.

  Note: Police will provide more details about the investigation at a community meeting tonight at Holy Family Church in Wilmington.

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  • January 27, 2009 3:13 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Octuplet birth doctor talks about the birth

  The medical team that attended the births of a rare set of octuplets in Bellflower yesterday is expressing relief that the babies appear healthy and are breathing with minimal help. Dr. Mandahir Gupta discussed their condition with reporters at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center. He noted that the normal human gestation time is 40 weeks.

  Dr. Mandahir Gupta: “We are pretty confident about taking care of babies at 30 weeks. Only thing was we had to plan out for the numbers, so our team was… we had some dry runs, as we told you yesterday and it went very very smoothly. So even though we got one extra baby we were able to handle that baby without any problems or any hitch at all.”

  Gupta said the parents - whom the hospital hasn’t identified yet - had been expecting only seven children. Forty-six physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, and surgical technicians assisted with the delivery.

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  • January 27, 2009 2:58 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Label maker Avery Dennison to lay off 3,600 people

  Pasadena-based label maker Avery Dennison announced today it’ll cut about 10 percent of the jobs in its operations around the world. More on the story from KPCC’s Cheryl Devall.

  Avery Dennison: The same economic downturn that’s affecting companies from Caterpillar to Citigroup has driven down earnings at Avery Dennison. The office and industrial products company reported that its fourth-quarter revenues were down 9 percent from the same period the year before.

  That had to do, in part, with the continuing slump in the retail clothing business - a big customer not only for Avery Dennison adhesive labels, but also for its retail information services division. The company says it’ll eliminate close to 3,600 jobs as part of a broader restructuring it began in the final quarter of last year. Avery Dennison employs about 36,000 people in more than 60 countries.

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  • January 27, 2009 1:41 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Octuplets born in Bellflower

  Doctors say eight babies born to a woman in Bellflower yesterday will likely remain in incubators for six to eight weeks. They are the world’s second live-born octuplets. Dr. Mandhir Gupta led a team of doctors who delivered the six boys and two girls.

  Mandhir Gupta: “I was right there, you know – we had taken care of what we thought was the last baby, then Dr. Henry says, ‘Oh, there is one more.’ And it was at first a little bit shocking for maybe one or two seconds, but then it was more of an excitement that we need to manage that one baby, and we managed that baby, actually, very very well.”
  Karen Maples: “He thought it was a bad joke. Tell the truth.”
  Harold Henry: “Absolutely.” (laughs)

  Doctors Karen Maples and Harold Henry helped deliver the babies. Doctors did not identify the mother and did not say whether or not she used fertility drugs - which often help women produce more than one baby.

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  • January 27, 2009 12:46 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Woman gives birth to octuplets in Bellflower

  Doctors at Kaiser Permanente in Bellflower say all eight babies born to a woman yesterday are doing well. They are the world’s second live-born set of octuplets. Doctors Harold Henry and Mandhir Gupta helped deliver the six boys and two girls.

  Harold Hall: “The delivery process went very smoothly. We practiced several dry runs, and the actual delivery process only took about five minutes to deliver all eight babies.”
  Mandhir Gupta: “It was absolutely amazing for my team to take care of all eight babies at time of birth. The team did a wonderful job, a really, really wonderful job. And the babies are all doing very well. And we resuscitated them at birth and they are all doing good.”

  The babies ranged in weight from 1 pound, 8 ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces. Doctors did not release the name of the mother, nor say whether she took fertility drugs. Such drugs often help women produce more than one baby.

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  • January 27, 2009 12:44 PM
  • Categories: Health

• 5 children, 2 adults dead in apparent murder-suicide

  Los Angeles police this morning found the bodies of five children and two adults in a house in Wilmington. Officers went to the home after receiving a call from a man. The caller said he had come home and found his family dead.

  Separately, KABC Channel 7 received a fax from someone who said he planned to kill himself and his family. The man said he was despondent over his job situation.

  L.A. deputy police chief Kenneth Garner says investigators are still trying to figure out what happened.

  Kenneth Garner: “We believe it’s a murder-suicide but that’s just a belief right now. Right now, we’re investigating any possibility of an outside person or the husband being the suspect in this grisly matter.”

  Police found the bodies of the father and three girls in one bedroom. A revolver was near the man’s body. His wife and twin boys were found dead in a separate bedroom.

  Garner said he had not seen anything like it in his 32 years with the police department.

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  • January 27, 2009 12:35 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• SAG president responds to firing of executive director

  The Screen Actors Guild’s national executive director and chief negotiator, Doug Allen, is out of a job. After complaints that Allen has mismanaged contract talks with film and TV producers, a slim majority of moderates on the Guild’s national board ousted him. Guild President Alan Rosenberg has been an ardent supporter of Doug Allen’s. He offered his personal opinion today to KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

  Alan Rosenberg: “Doug was fired because he was too good and too strong, and too much of a unionist. For the first time, we had a negotiator who was saying that this whole idea of pattern bargaining – where we have to be stuck with a deal that was arrived at by other unions who never asked the questions that we needed to ask about how the Internet was gonna impact actors – that that was an absurd notion. And Doug’s the first NED we’ve had in a long time who challenged that notion because of the direction the board gave him, and the negotiating team gave him.”

  Nonetheless, that negotiating team is also out – replaced by a new negotiation task force. SAG’s former general counsel David White is taking over Doug Allen’s duties as interim national executive director. Longtime Guild senior advisor John McGuire takes over as chief negotiator. SAG members have worked without a contract since the end of June.

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  • January 27, 2009 12:15 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• 7 dead in family murder-suicide

  Police are still trying to sort out the details of an apparent murder-suicide that left seven members of the same family dead this morning in Wilmington. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has what we know so far.

  Cheryl Devall: The family on McFarland Avenue included a husband and wife, an 8-year-old girl, and two sets of twins: 5-year-old daughters and 2-year-old sons. A police spokesman said the father, apparently distraught over problems on his job, shot and killed the rest of his family and then turned the weapon on himself.

  Before he killed himself, police say, the man sent a two-page typed letter about what he intended to do to television station KABC in Burbank. Upon receiving the letter, someone at the station called Burbank police and they contacted officers in Wilmington near the port of Los Angeles.

  LAPD officers responded to a call about a shooting in progress shortly before 8:30 this morning; not long after, they found the victims throughout the house.

  Note: Authorities have not released details about the family’s identity.

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  • January 27, 2009 12:10 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Chinese American students learn and pass on lessons about lunar new year

  A San Gabriel Valley school district is turning third-generation Chinese American middle school students into cultural ambassadors during the Chinese New Year. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Chinese culture is teacher Corrina Shih’s main subject at the Rowland Unified School District. Her students are mostly assimilated Chinese Americans who are largely disconnected from the culture of their parents and grandparents. She says the seventh- and eighth-graders had a lot of questions about this week’s Lunar New Year celebrations.

  Corrina Shih: Why people do fireworks during Chinese New Year and also talk about clothing, why Chinese people like to wear new clothes during the Chinese New Year, and also lion and dragon dances.

  Guzman-Lopez: Shih directed her students to turn their questions into research projects. They paid a visit to a massive Buddhist temple complex in Hacienda Heights. They’ll also take their display boards to a nearby elementary school to share their knowledge with younger students.

  This is the second year Rowland Unified’s received a federal grant to offer Chinese and Korean culture classes.

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  • January 26, 2009 6:13 PM
  • Categories: Education, Society/Culture

• Supreme Court: District Attorneys can't be sued for trial mistakes

  The Supreme Court ruled today that a defendant convicted by mistake cannot sue a district attorney for the trial error. KPCC’s Nick Roman says the decision comes in a Los Angeles case that dates back 30 years.

  Nick Roman: That’s when John Van de Kamp was the L.A. County District Attorney. His office went after Thomas Goldstein, a Long Beach man accused of murder. Investigators didn’t have anything solid on him, so they put an informant in his cell who later testified Goldstein confessed. That cinched the conviction.

  Goldstein insisted he was innocent… and after 24 years in prison, he convinced a judge the informant lied when he said he got nothing for his testimony. Turned out he got a lighter sentence for grand theft because he’d testified in other trials.

  Goldstein was freed, and immediately sued Van de Kamp and the top prosecutor in charge of D.A.’s office. He claimed the lying informant wouldn’t have testified if Van de Kamp had run the office better.

  But the Supreme Court tossed the claim aside. The unanimous ruling says the law already says defendants can’t sue prosecutors who make mistakes during trials… and now the same protection extends to their bosses.

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  • January 26, 2009 5:57 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, History

• Officials warn against foreclosure scams

  First come the foreclosures… and then come the foreclosure scams. State and local officials say con artists are offering help for an upfront fee. You know what happens next. KPCC’s Brian Watt says in the midst of this housing crisis, it’s a new and very real challenge.

  Brian Watt: In the last year, more than 12,000 Angelenos fell victim to foreclosure. More foreclosures mean more desperate homeowners trying to save their homes… and, says L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, more scammers trying to take advantage.

  Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: They tell you to give some of their money up front. They offer dream deals, and promise to rework your loans for a small fee. And then, they take the money and run.

  Watt: California Real Estate Commissioner Jeff Davi says his department has shifted its attention to deal with a rising number of foreclosure fraud cases: nearly 300. He said anyone facing foreclosure should know…

  Jeff Davi: …in California, if a notice of default has been filed against your property, nobody can charge you an advance fee for loan modification services.

  Watt: Davi said homeowners should ask anyone who offers those loan modification services to see a license first. Commissioner Davi and Mayor Villaraigosa say legal aid groups and other certified counselors offer free help to anyone who needs to clear up a foreclosure… and doesn’t want to get scammed doing it.

  LINK: Department of Real Estate

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  • January 26, 2009 5:51 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice

• LA Unified to vote on transferring school for charter use

  In the last decade L.A. Unified’s opened 76 new schools through its publicly-funded construction program. None of these facilities have been established as charters, the very popular schools that function independently of district control. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez says that could change at tomorrow’s school board meeting.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: L.A. Unified hasn’t set aside construction money for the 500-student Central Region High School #12, near downtown L.A. Construction costs are rising. So is the demand for room at charter schools.

  The board’s vote would determine whether a charter school company would run the school after the company finds construction funding on its own and lets L.A. Unified build it.

  This arrangement would be an important first if the school board approves, says Jose Cole Gutierrez, head of L.A. Unified’s Charter Schools Division.

  Jose Cole Gutierrez: “It is significant and frankly a sign from the board of education, superintendent of this district, to say that we want to continue to work together with charters to make sure every child has access to a safe facilities and a quality education.”

  A spokesman for the California Charter Schools Association says the proposal represents a very small step in the right direction. The association’s taken L.A. Unified to court to obtain space for charter schools.

  Charter school operators, the association argues, can build facilities more cheaply, so the school district should give charter schools public bond funding and let them build the facilities they need.

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  • January 26, 2009 5:17 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Automakers resistant to stricter EPA regulations

  President Barack Obama has asked the federal Environmental Protection Agency to review a Bush administration ruling over state auto emission controls. In California and a dozen other states that want to regulate greenhouse gases by imposing stricter emission standards, officials praised the new president’s move. The response isn’t as enthusiastic in the country’s auto capital, said Neal Boudette, Detroit bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal.

  Neal Boudette: “In public, it’s pretty muted, and the automakers, especially GM and Chrysler, are not exactly in a position right now to protest too loudly in public because GM and Chrysler are getting loans from the federal government. And they’re hoping the Obama Administration will continue to help them and increase that help.”

  Boudette told KPCC that the auto industry fears more regulation and increased confusion among potential car buyers. For years, the auto industry has fought the states on this issue.

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  • January 26, 2009 5:14 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Study suggests gridlock leads to slower job growth

  Gridlocked traffic may equal less job growth. That’s the finding of a study out of UC Irvine. KPCC’s Susan Valot reports.

  Susan Valot: The study in the “Journal of Urban Economics” suggests that wherever drivers sit in traffic longer, that’s where there tend to be fewer jobs.

  A UC Irvine researcher looked at traffic delays in major metropolitan areas between 1982 and 2003. He found that traffic congestion seems to discourage job growth because it raises the cost of doing business – if you have to sit longer in traffic to get to work, you want to get paid more.

  Traffic also increases the cost of shipping goods. To cover those costs, companies will scrimp a little by hiring fewer workers. The study suggests that if the Los Angeles-Orange County area had slashed traffic in half in 1990, it would have generated about 100,000 additional jobs 13 years later.

  The study comes out as President Barack Obama is expected to push for more spending in transportation and infrastructure projects as a way to boost the economy.

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  • January 26, 2009 4:52 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Transportation

• Quiksilver cuts 200 jobs, reduces expenses

  Quiksilver says it’s cutting 200 jobs and reducing other expenses in its U.S. division. The Huntington Beach-based action apparel maker has been struggling to keep its head above water in rough economic surf. KPCC’s Nick Roman has more.

  Nick Roman: Quiksilver’s been on a bad streak for a long time. In November, it sold off its winter sports brand Rossignol. It ended last year holding about a billion dollars in debt - and it’s trying to renegotiate some of that debt.

  Two weeks ago, it replaced the boss of its U.S. division. So layoffs at Quiksilver aren’t much of a surprise. They also might not be the only news the company makes this week. Quiksilver’s apparently in talks to sell its popular DC Shoes brand to VF Corporation.

  That North Carolina firm owns 25 apparel labels - including Wrangler and Vans. There’s also a rumor that says sports footwear and apparel giant Nike is in talks to buy Quiksilver - and another one that says Quiksilver’s already turned down a Nike offer.

  The last year has been tough for everyone in the action sports apparel industry. Several firms - Quiksilver among them - skipped a big industry trade show in San Diego over the weekend.

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  • January 26, 2009 4:47 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Lancaster considers regulating pit bulls

  The city of Lancaster is considering imposing stiff fines on owners of pit bulls and other breeds it considers vicious. City Manager Assistant Kelvin Tainatongo says officials are trying to crack down on gang members who own the dogs.

  Kelvin Tainatongo: “We’ve got irresponsible pet owners who are letting their dogs out on the streets roaming, attacking our residents. Oftentimes, they themselves cannot control their pets so they’re letting them go out because they can no longer take care of them. And so we do have an overpopulation of pit bulls and Rottweilers.”

  Dave Merriam of the American Kennel Club says Lancaster should target dog owners, not specific breeds. He raised the example of former NFL star Michael Vick, who’s doing prison time after a jury convicted him of staging dog fights.

  Dave Merriam: “The majority of those dogs have been rehabilitated and are in loving homes now. They are not aggressive. And those are dogs that were used for pit fighting. So that, it’s very much how the dogs was raised, how it was treated, and how it was kept.”

  Merriam and Tainatongo spoke on KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Lancaster’s proposed ordinance would require owners of pit bulls and Rottweilers to have their dogs spayed or neutered. It would be the toughest dog law in the region.

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  • January 26, 2009 4:26 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Economic observers see bank nationalization

  Under the Troubled Asset Loan Program, Citigroup and Bank of America have absorbed close to $90 billion in federal assistance. Some economic observers claim this falls just short of nationalizing the banks.

  Joseph Mason, who teaches finance and banking at Louisiana State University, recalls that the United States did nationalize banks to help restore consumer confidence during the 1930s.

  Joseph Mason: “The nationalization of the banking system lasted on the order of about 25 years; it did help us get out of the Great Depression.”

  Mason told KPCC that there is a downside to nationalization - it could contribute to sluggish economic growth after the crisis subsides.

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  • January 26, 2009 4:21 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Supporters of Pachyderm Forest exhibit rally at LA City Hall

  The tug of war continues over the fate of the L.A. Zoo’s new elephant habitat. More than 100 supporters of the Pachyderm Forest rallied today on the steps of Los Angeles City Hall. Zoo officials and employees and building trades union members called on the City Council to move forward with the $42 million exhibit.

  It’s about a third finished now. Opponents - including some animal rights activists – say the exhibit will be too small even for the one elephant left at the zoo. Joshua Sisk, a zookeeper, said those opponents really don’t want any animals in captivity.

  Joshua Sisk: “We’re talking about a group of people here that for the most part have never worked a day of their life with elephants, have never done research on elephants. Most of them- a lot of them have never set foot into our zoo. So please, trust the people who have dedicated their lives to caring for these animals, and trust that they are doing their jobs.”

  The L.A. City Council’s Committee on Art, Parks, Health and Aging is scheduled to meet tomorrow to decide whether the city will continue building the new habitat.

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  • January 26, 2009 3:41 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Politics/Public Affairs

• Governor Schwarzenegger responds to Obama EPA order

  Environmentalists and elected officials are praising President Barack Obama’s effort to reverse his predecessor’s policy on limiting auto emissions. The new administration wants to give states including California a waiver to the federal rules so they can try to control greenhouse gases. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger added his voice to a chorus of approval.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “There was a promise made to the people of the America by President Obama and the promise has been kept. That we have just instructed the Environmental Protection Agency in Washington to move forward with the waiver and to complete, you know, all the work, and that we want to get this done, and we want you and the other states to have this waiver. And I then told them that it would be great to actually do this nationwide.”

  Under the Bush administration, the federal agency declined to grant the waiver to California and 13 other states. Along with the auto industry, an EPA undersecretary maintained that the waiver would create an unwieldy patchwork of state emissions regulations. Environmental advocates contend that allowing California to set its own standard will compel the rest of the country to meet the same guidelines.

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  • January 26, 2009 2:37 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Home Depot Expo stores close

  Going-out-of-business sales will start as soon as tomorrow at five Expo home decorating stores in Los Angeles and Orange County. Their parent company, Home Depot, is closing all Expo locations in response to the economic downturn.

  The Atlanta-based retailer also plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs. Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallaghner said the high-end Expo brand hadn’t performed well, even before the recession.

  Kathryn Gallaghner: “Exiting our Expo business was a very difficult decision, particularly given all the hard work and dedication of our associates in that business. But at the same time it was a necessary decision that will strengthen our core Home Depot Business.”

  Expo stores in Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel, Westwood Village in Los Angeles, Monrovia, and Redondo Beach in the next two months. About 750 employees at those stores will lose their jobs.

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  • January 26, 2009 2:34 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Home Depot eliminating 7,000 jobs, closing 5 LA/OC stores

  The country’s biggest home improvement store plans to eliminate 7,000 jobs. Home Depot announced today that it’ll also close five of its high-end Expo home decorating showrooms in Los Angeles and Orange County. Kathryn Gallaghner is a spokeswoman for the company.

  Kathryn Gallaghner: “We will be closing our Expo Stores in Huntington Beach, Laguna Niguel, Westwood Village in Los Angeles, Monrovia, and Redondo Beach. Those Expo Stores will be closing. Throughout the process of closing these stores, we are still committed to meeting the needs of our customers.”

  Liquidation sales at those locations begin tomorrow. About 750 employees will lose their jobs when the stores close in the next couple of months.

  Home Depot was one of several corporations that cut tens of thousands of jobs today in response to the economic downturn. Telecommunications company Sprint/Nextel and heavy equipment maker Caterpillar also announced layoffs, and pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Wyeth are likely to eliminate jobs when they merge.

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  • January 26, 2009 2:17 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• LA Mayor, state officials, non-profits warn of foreclosure scams

  More foreclosures means more scams that target homeowners desperate to save their homes. Government and non-profit officials are warning borrowers about con artists who promise to help renegotiate a mortgage in exchange for an upfront fee - then walk away without following through.

  California Real Estate Commissioner Jeff Davi told reporters at L.A. City Hall that his office is looking at nearly 300 cases of possible fraud.

  Jeff Davi: “We have people that are facing dire straits, contemplating loss of their home, that are approached by these illegal operators, to give their last few dollars. Offering a solution, offering a salvation, and then providing no services for that. What we do find is that a lot these individuals aren’t even licensed.”

  Davi says when someone offers help to modify a loan, homeowners should ask to see a license first.

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  • January 26, 2009 1:16 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice

• Rabbi urges action against Holocaust-denying bishop

  A prominent Los Angeles Jewish leader is urging Pope Benedict the 16th to quiet a controversial Roman Catholic bishop and to reaffirm the church’s position on the Holocaust.

  Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Simon Wiesenthal Center today challenged British bishop Richard Williamson’s assertion that the Nazis had not killed millions of Jews in gas chambers during World War II.

  Rabbi Marvin Hier: “How ironic, in the same week when nations of the world gather to commemorate the extermination of the Jews, a bishop in the Catholic Church rises and says, ‘It didn’t happen.’”

  Rabbi Hier was referring to the official commemoration of Holocaust Memorial Day tomorrow at the United Nations. Bishop Williamson made his remarks in a Swedish state TV interview last week, days before the pope reinstated him and three other traditionalist bishops the church had ex-communicated.

  Since the controversy over the Holocaust denier arose, Pope Benedict defended that action but told the Vatican’s official newspaper that the bishop’s statements violate Catholic teaching.

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  • January 26, 2009 1:13 PM
  • Categories: Religion/Spirituality

• Event held to celebrate Chinese New Year in Chinatown

  The Year of the Ox charged in with a huge noise in L.A.’s Chinatown this morning.

  The Teo Chew Association, a social and religious organization for Southeast Asian immigrants, threw one of many events to mark the start of the Lunar New Year this week.

  Hing Hong, one of the group’s officers, says it deployed dragon dancers, drummers, and thousands of firecrackers to help scare away evil.

  Hing Hong: “The firecrackers mean we get rid of those evils. Scare them to go away.”

  More than a million local Chinese-, Korean-, and Vietnamese-Americans observe the Lunar New Year. The main public celebration is the Golden Dragon Parade this Saturday in Chinatown.

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  • January 26, 2009 12:57 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Chinese New Year celebration held in Chinatown

  People in Los Angeles’ Chinatown observed the Lunar New Year this morning with drums, dragon dancers - and, in case you weren’t close enough to hear them yourself, a few thousand firecrackers.

  John Rabe: This celebration took place outside the Teo Chew Association, a social and religious organization for Southeast Asian immigrants.

  The Chinese Chamber of Commerce says a million-and-a-half Chinese-, Korean-, and Vietnamese-Americans in Southern California are marking the beginning of the Year of the Ox.

  The annual Golden Dragon Parade is expected to draw more than a hundred-thousand people to Broadway in Chinatown this Saturday.

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  • January 26, 2009 12:54 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• Congressman Waxman to focus on food safety

  In addition to his work on key committees that deal with health care and energy policy, L.A. Congressman Henry Waxman also expects to focus on food safety. Jack Shaw of Market News International explained how the issue dropped onto Waxman’s plate.

  Jack Shaw: “The Government Accountability Office recently issued a report saying that the federal oversight of food safety is abysmal and is getting worse. This is the third year in a row that the GAO has cited this as a big problem.

  “And Waxman is chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. He has this issue under his jurisdiction, so he is starting to get the ball moving and trying to see what he can do on the matter.”

  Waxman said last week he hadn’t set a timeline for food safety legislation. Jack Shaw joins KPCC every Monday morning to talk about California’s congressional delegation.

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  • January 26, 2009 12:43 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• California Air Resources Board chair responds to Obama EPA order

  The Environmental Protection Agency will reexamine whether it should grant California a waiver from the federal Clean Air Act. California needs the waiver in order to impose strict auto emissions standards. The Bush administration turned down that waiver request in late 2007. Now President Obama has directed the EPA to take another look at that decision.

  Mary Nichols is chair of the California Air Resources Board. She described President Obama’s action as a “shot in the arm” for environmental protection.

  Mary Nichols: “We can’t be 100 percent certain that the decision will come out the right way, because unfortunately for us there does have to be some process, but I think we can be as certain as it’s possible to be.”

  Nichols says that if the EPA does grant the waiver, it wouldn’t take effect until at least May.

  The Bush administration had argued that granting California the waiver would create a patchwork of state regulations. At least 13 other states are also seeking to impose tougher vehicle emissions standards.

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  • January 26, 2009 12:41 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Senator Boxer response to Obama directing EPA on waivers

  President Obama this morning directed the Environmental Protection Agency to re-examine whether several states, including California, should get waivers from the federal Clean Air Act. California needs the waiver in order to enact tough statewide auto emissions standards. U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer shared her response with KPCC’s Larry Mantle.

  Barbara Boxer: “If I could sum it up in a word, I’d say ‘hooray.’ This is music to my ears. This is what we’ve been fighting so hard for. Every scientist, every professional, and the EPA said California has a right to this waiver, in the past we’ve never been denied a waiver. So President Obama is living up to his promise.”

  Environmental regulators in the Bush administration had rejected the waiver request. They argued that it would create a patchwork of state regulations. But critics accused the Bush administration of making environmental policy on the basis of politics, not science.

  At least 13 other states want to follow California’s lead in imposing the strict emissions standards.

  Automakers are also fighting the California regulations in court.

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  • January 26, 2009 12:33 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Long Beach school district holds public meeting about cuts

  The administrators of the Southland’s second largest school district are holding an informational public meeting this afternoon to talk about upcoming budget cuts. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: The Long Beach Unified School District laid off almost 100 beginning teachers last year because of budget cuts. Administrators don’t know how many they’ll have to let go this year because Sacramento lawmakers haven’t agreed on budget cuts.

  Long Beach Unified receives more than $5,000 per student from state coffers. Mike Day, the president of Long Beach Unified’s teachers’ union, says his union and administrators are bracing for cuts of about 300 dollars per student.

  Mike Day: That’s two to three teachers that could be cut from every elementary school in the district, and more for high schools.

  Guzman-Lopez: Union president Day defends a 4-and-a-half percent pay increase the union negotiated for its current contract. Teachers deserved it, he says, and the state allocated the cost of living increases. It might be the last pay raise Long Beach teachers receive for the next several years.

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  • January 26, 2009 10:24 AM
  • Categories: Education

• Several NASA anniversaries this week

  This week marks some of the greatest triumphs - and worst tragedies - in the half-century of the U.S. space program. KPCC’s Nick Roman has the rundown.

  Nick Roman: The last week of January is a bad time for NASA. On the 27th, three of the space agency’s Apollo astronauts died in a launch pad fire in 1967. The incident crushed engineers at the old North American Rockwell plant in Downey. They built the command module that burned.

  The 28th is the anniversary of the Challenger explosion. Twenty-three years ago, the giant fuel tank on the space shuttle blew up 73 seconds after liftoff. The eight astronauts were killed.

  Two Ranger probes that were supposed to snap pictures of the Moon failed in the last week of January. The one in 1962 missed the Moon. The one in ‘64 hit the Moon - but sent no pictures. Turns out the cameras on board were fried just after launch.

  But it’s not all bad. The Mars rover Opportunity knocked on the Red Planet’s door five years ago yesterday. Now it’s rolling on its way to explore a huge Martian crater. And there’s Explorer 1 - America’s first satellite. The Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena built it. Saturday is the 51st anniversary of the day NASA sent it into orbit.

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  • January 26, 2009 10:15 AM
  • Categories: History, Science/Technology

• 4 year anniversary of Glendale Metrolink crash

  Four years ago today, 11 people were killed when a commuter train struck an SUV parked on the tracks in Glendale. At the time, it was the deadliest crash in Metrolink’s history. KPCC’s Nick Roman recaps the tragedy.

  Nick Roman: There are so many “ifs” – if the locomotive was in the front, not the back, maybe the southbound Metrolink train demolishes the SUV but stays upright. If a freight train isn’t parked alongside the tracks, the derailed cars don’t strike that train – and don’t whipsaw back across the path of a northbound train. If the crash happens a few miles ahead or a few miles back, maybe the northbound train doesn’t run into the tangle of derailed cars.

  But none of it happens if Juan Alvarez doesn’t park his SUV on the tracks. His attorneys said he wanted to kill himself over his failed marriage - but never intended to hurt anyone else. The jurors didn’t buy it. They convicted him of murder last June.

  In August, the judge sentenced Alvarez to 11 consecutive life terms for touching off Metrolink’s worst train disaster. Three weeks later, the Glendale crash was no longer the worst. Twenty-five people died in the Chatsworth crash - including one passenger who’d survived Glendale.

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  • January 26, 2009 10:12 AM
  • Categories: Transportation

• LA County faces budget deficit

  The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors this week considers how to address a $36 million shortfall in the current budget. Like most municipalities, the county is facing falling tax revenues and increasing costs because of the recession. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze has more.

  Frank Stoltze: The county’s chief executive officer proposes making up for most of this year’s shortfall by transferring money from a reserve fund. That means there would be no cuts in county services.

  It may be impossible to avoid service cuts in the fiscal year that starts July 1st. County number crunchers project a $173 million shortfall next year, thanks to a drop in revenue from the sales tax, deed transfer tax, and vehicle license fee.

  The sales tax estimates don’t include the December holiday season. Those numbers come in next month, and they could push the projected shortfall even higher.

  Costs are up too: rising unemployment is forcing more people to go on welfare; market losses by the county’s retirement funds will translate into a “sharp rise” in contributions for retirees. To address the increasingly bleak outlook, the chief executive officer has asked department heads to prepare budget cuts of up to 5 percent next year.

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  • January 26, 2009 10:09 AM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Hip hop's Death Row Records auctions office contents this Sunday

  Folks who want to own a piece of hip hop history will be in Fullerton Sunday morning during an auction of the remnants of Death Row Records. More from KPCC’s Debra Baer.

  Debra Baer: The auction lists more than 500 items from the Death Row offices. They include everything from a MTV Music Video Awards moonman statue to pallets of CDs, and even some of the cigars that Marion “Suge” Knight left at his once-successful music company.

  Knight and his partner Andre “Dr. Dre” Young founded the label 18 years ago and produced some of the biggest names in rap music, including Snoop Dog and Tupac Shakur.

  The company filed for bankruptcy more than two years ago, and was turned over to a trustee because it was heavily in debt. WIDEawake Entertainment of Toronto bought it recently for $18 million.

  The electric chair pictured in the music company’s infamous logo is up for bid, along with some platinum records, personal clothing, and portraits of Knight, Shakur, and other artists from the label.

  LINK: Death Row Records Auction

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  • January 23, 2009 6:10 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• California firm will do first study of treatment based on human embryonic stem cells

  A California biotech firm has announced it will perform the world’s first study of a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells. The Geron Corporation received federal approval this week for the clinical trials. This summer, the company plans to begin the trials on a group of spinal cord injury patients.

  The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine helped pay for the research that led to the new treatment. Its president, Dr. Alan Trounson, spoke on KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  Dr. Alan Trounson: “We should see this as a beginning and a very important beginning, because these are safety trials that the Geron company are doing, and I think this is a very important mark in the history of this new medicine. So a beginning, and I think we can expect, you know, many more trials to come forward.”

  UC Irvine scientists developed the stem cell therapy and used it successfully on paralyzed rats. The Geron Corporation, based in Menlo Park, says it has selected up to seven medical centers around the country to participate in the human clinical trials.

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  • January 23, 2009 6:05 PM
  • Categories: Health, Science/Technology

• California biotech company to study embryonic stem cell treatment

  A California biotech company says that within a few months it plans to start the world’s first study of a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells. The treatment developed at UC Irvine allowed paralyzed rats to walk again.

  Peter Kiernam, who chairs the board of directors of the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, said the study offers hope to people with spinal cord injuries. He praised this state’s early efforts to promote stem cell research.

  Peter Kiernam: “California’s been great. They’ve been really the leading edge of, of advocacy and spending and research. And we owe a great debt to the people of California because they were really a big part of the impetus for making this happen.”

  Kiernam spoke on KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

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  • January 23, 2009 5:01 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Science/Technology

• California unemployment rate highest in 15 years

  California ended last year with the highest unemployment rate in 15 years. Last month the state’s jobless rate surged by almost a full percentage point to 9.3 percent. More than 1-and-a-half million people were looking for work. Nancy Sidhu is chief economist for the L.A. County Economic Development Corporation.

  Nancy Sidhu: “I knew it was likely to be a higher unemployment rate, I didn’t know it was going to be this much higher. Because we increased a good deal more than the nation as a whole had, which is our best clue to what’s really going on. So this is a fairly significant increase.”

  The nation’s unemployment rate was just over 7 percent last month. Sidhu and other economists predict more job cuts before the economy recovers. Los Angeles County had 9.9 percent jobless rate in December. The Inland Empire rate rose to 10.4 percent – the highest in 13 years.

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  • January 23, 2009 4:43 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Funeral held for 4-year-old boy killed by stray gang gunfire

  At the Cathedral of our Lady of Angels today, Cardinal Roger Mahony led a funeral mass for Roberto Lopez Junior. Police say gang gunfire killed the 4-year-old boy just west of downtown Los Angeles. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Police say Lopez died when a stray bullet fired by a gang member struck him hear his home. Officers have arrested a 25-year-old suspect.

  [Cardinal Roger Mahony speaking in Spanish]

  Standing near Lopez’s tiny white casket, Mahoney described gang members as terrorists. He urged the hundreds of mourners to pray for the Lopez family.

  Roberto Lopez Junior had a little brother and sister. His father and mother are expecting their fourth child next month.

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  • January 23, 2009 4:12 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Applications to University of California up significantly

  The University of California today released application statistics for the fall term. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez says the numbers show that the UC is becoming an even more elite university.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: UC received 98,000 freshman applications and almost 29,000 transfer applications for the fall. The combined numbers are a nearly 5 percent spike compared to last year. The surge isn’t a surprise.

  Its Nobel laureates, top research facilities, and country club-like campuses make the UC system very attractive. But its stringent entrance requirements, limited seats, and rising fees can make acceptance a long shot for many California students.

  UC regents voted last week to accept 2,300 fewer freshmen in the fall because the state’s not providing enough money to accommodate at least 10,000 students currently enrolled. Administrators said they’d rather accept fewer students than lower the quality of a UC education with crowded classrooms and strained facilities.

  At the same time, UC’s increasing slots for students who transfer from community colleges. This week, the system’s president promised to guarantee enough financial aid to cover the cost of annual fees for low-income students.

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  • January 23, 2009 2:47 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Hundreds gather for funeral of boy killed by stray gang bullet

  Family and friends gathered today to remember 4-year-old Roberto Lopez Junior. Police say Lopez died when he was hit by a stray bullet fired by a gang member just west of downtown Los Angeles. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Hundreds of people gathered at downtown L.A.’s Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. A tiny white casket sat before the altar. In a photograph positioned nearby, Robert Lopez Junior wore a mariachi suit. Many of the mourners wore white t-shirts with the same image. Flor Banegar lived across the street from the Lopez family.

  Flor Banegar: Incredible boy. Friendly. (continues in Spanish)

  Stoltze: She says he was very active and sweet, that people liked him, that “Robertito” - as he was known – stole people’s hearts.

  Cardinal Roger Mahony led the funeral mass in Spanish. He implored people to cooperate with police in fighting gangs. In this case, detectives say they did. Police arrested a 25-year-old suspect three days after the killing.

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  • January 23, 2009 2:45 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• LA jobless rate surged to 9.9% in December

  California’s economy continued to hemorrhage jobs last month. The unemployment rate rose to 9.3 percent in December from 8.4 percent in November. The state reports that 1.7 million people were looking for work last month – almost a third of them in Los Angeles County. Nancy Sidhu is chief economist for the L.A. Economic Development Corporation.

  Nancy Sidhu: “This figures to be a very serious recession. The last time California saw a 9.3 percent unemployment rate was 15 years ago when we were just coming out of the very deep recession of the early 1990s. And so I’m afraid there are more increases in unemployment to come.”

  Sidhu spoke with KPCC’s “AirTalk.” The unemployment rate for Los Angeles County surged a full percentage point to 9.9 percent. That compares with a national jobless rate of a little more than 7 percent.

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  • January 23, 2009 2:40 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• LAUSD won't move forward with layoff plans

  New teachers at L.A. Unified can breathe easier today. School district superintendent Ramon Cortines says he won’t move forward with plans to lay off more than 2,000 teachers in response to proposed state budget cuts. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: In a statement, Cortines offered two reasons for the decision. About 2,000 teachers are interested in early retirement. That would save the district money. Cortines also said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged last week to allow school districts more flexibility in the way they use some state education funds.

  Last week, L.A. Unified’s school board gave Cortines the authority on a split vote to lay off up to 2,290 teachers. The district may have to cut hundreds of millions of dollars from its current budget. Teachers who’ve spent just a couple of years on the job, with less job security than tenured teachers, would have been laid off.

  Public school districts including L.A. Unified aren’t out of financial jeopardy yet. Sacramento lawmakers continue to debate how to best close a multibillion dollar budget gap in this year and next year’s budgets. That’s likely to push administrators to cut support services for classrooms, increase class sizes, and lay off instructors.

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  • January 23, 2009 12:26 PM
  • Categories: Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• SAG leadership proposes 'compromise plan'

  The leadership of the Screen Actors Guild is backing away from plans to call a strike authorization vote. Instead those leaders are proposing what they call a “compromise plan” with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. SAG president Alan Rosenberg explained the proposal to KPCC’s Larry Mantle.

  Alan Rosenberg: “It would entail going back to the AMPTP, to the employers, trying to get them to make the deal a little bit better, because if we’re going to put the deal out to the membership, I’m sure the AMPTP wants to see it ratified.

  “I think they have to do a little bit better than what they’ve done in order to get the deal ratified. It is not a good deal. It is a deal that will damage actors now and in the future.”

  Rosenberg insists that a strike authorization vote is still very much on the table - and is something the union could rely on in the future if negotiations don’t work out.

  A faction of self-proclaimed moderates in the union has opposed the vote, saying that it’s a bad idea during the recession.

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  • January 23, 2009 11:55 AM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• LA police arrest suspected burglary ring mastermind

  Los Angeles police have arrested a man they suspect of masterminding a ring of burglars who stole $10 million worth of property from some exclusive L.A. neighborhoods. LAPD chief William Bratton said a lengthy investigation and DNA evidence led to the arrest.

  William Bratton: “They took a lot of high-end jewelry, watches, cameras, small things that they could get away with very easily. We have yet to determine where they got rid of those pieces property, but we’re hopping that the rest of the investigation will eventually disclose that.”

  Bratton told KPCC that officers haven’t yet arrested all the alleged Hillside burglars. Police believe they’re responsible for 150 break-ins during three years.

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  • January 22, 2009 5:24 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Univision, Televisa settle lawsuit

  Your favorite primetime soap operas aren’t going anywhere. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says that’s because Mexico’s leading producer of the melodramas settled its lawsuit with a major Spanish-language network today in a Los Angeles federal court.

  Cheryl Devall: Mexican producer Televisa and broadcast network Univision announced the settlement on the tenth day of their civil trial. The premise for the court proceeding resembled the plot of a telenovela in which longtime partners scrambled for their share of a fortune.

  Televisa had contended that Univision violated a contract by refusing to pay millions of dollars of proceeds in an advertising revenue-sharing agreement. Lawyers for both sides said the settlement of the three-year dispute will offer better rights to Univision and higher royalty payments to Televisa.

  In a joint statement, they added that there will be no disruption in some of the most popular programs broadcast on the leading Spanish-language network. The companies did not disclose the terms of the agreement, but they did announce a separate one: Televisa will license to Univision the right to broadcast the home games of three top Mexican soccer teams this year.

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  • January 22, 2009 5:23 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Dodgers' Jeff Kent announces his retirement

  Dodgers second baseman Jeff Kent is ending his 17-year playing career. The likely Hall of Famer announced his retirement at a news conference this morning at Dodger Stadium.

  Kent had trouble maintaining his composure as he thanked his former teammates and the fans. Kent also used the opportunity to thank his critics.

  Jeff Kent: “And I’m thankful for those people, probably more than the fans that give you a hug every day, because those are the people who motivate you. The people who tell you that you can’t do things. The people who criticize you or try to tear you down. Those are the types of people that motivate me.”

  Kent hit the most home runs of any second baseman ever during his pro career. He was also a five-time All Star.

  But Kent was known for generating controversy too. He famously clashed with several teammates, including former Giants slugger Barry Bonds.

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  • January 22, 2009 1:25 PM
  • Categories: Sports/Recreation

• Congresswoman Jane Harman: Guantanamo closing will take away terrorist recruiting tool

  As a group of retired U.S. military generals and admirals looked on, President Obama today signed executive orders to close the detention camp at Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba within a year.

  South Bay Congresswoman Jane Harman says that gesture will signal the world that the United States is trying to live up to the values it professes.

  Congresswoman Jane Harman: “Let’s understand that Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups have had a huge recruiting tool in recent years because they could point to abuses perpetrated by the United States and say to prospective terrorists: ‘Look, these folks are not different from the societies in which you live, and you should feel free to condemn them. And train to attack them.’ And when that changes, we begin to win the argument with the next generation.”

  Harman, chair of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Terrorism Risk Assessment, spoke with KPCC’s “AirTalk.” Foreign policy experts have noted that closing the detention center leaves the new Administration with the problem of deciding what to do with the men who have spent years in custody there.

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  • January 22, 2009 1:21 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Critic Maltin praises Oscar-nominated Viola Davis' work in "Doubt"

  The movie “Doubt” picked up a host of acting nods when the Motion Picture Academy announced Oscar nominations this morning. Meryl Streep, who played a nun in the film, will vie for Best Actress. It’s her 15th nomination. Philip Seymour Hoffman is up for Best Supporting Actor. Amy Adams will compete for Best Supporting Actress. So will Viola Davis, who played a small but pivotal scene in “Doubt”.

  Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin says Davis made the most of her time on screen.

  Leonard Maltin: “You know what actors say – ‘It’s not the size of the role, it’s the quality’ – and this is proof positive. She made such an impression in that one scene that, you know, it stays with you; it lingers, even after the movie is long over.”

  “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” grabbed 13 Oscar nominations, the most of any film this year. “Slumdog Millionaire” was second with 10 nominations.

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  • January 22, 2009 1:17 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Congresswoman Harman applauds Obama orders on Guantanamo, interrogation

  President Obama signed an executive order this morning to close the prison camp at Guantanamo within a year. A second executive order requires the CIA to close all its existing detention facilities. It also orders United States personnel to follow the U.S. Army Field Manual when they interrogate detainees.

  South Bay Congresswoman Jane Harman chairs the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Terrorism Risk Assessment. She told KPCC’s Larry Mantle she applauds these changes.

  Congresswoman Jane Harman: “It is thrilling to see this Administration line up so quickly behind ending the stain on the United States’ reputation from conducting a lot of our post 9/11 activities, as the former vice president said, ‘on the dark side.’”

  The executive order on Guantanamo sets up a review process to determine what to do with the detainees housed at the prison camp.

  Obama also signed a third executive order. It creates a special task force to review how the U.S. will handle detainees going forward.

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  • January 22, 2009 1:13 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• A few surprise omissions in Oscar nominations

  “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” leads the Academy Awards with 13 nominations, including Best Picture. It joins “Milk”, “Frost/Nixon”, “Slumdog Millionaire”, and “The Reader”. KPCC’s Steve Julian has more on the award nominations, announced this morning.

  Steve Julian: What’s noteworthy is what was left out. “The Dark Knight,” the largest blockbuster in years, had eight nominations, but only one in acting categories: the late Heath Ledger received a Best Supporting nod a year after his death.

  Clint Eastwood’s performance in “Gran Torino” went unnoticed. Despite winning a Golden Globe for “Happy Go Lucky”, Sally Hawkins was shut out. So was Kristen Scott Thomas for “I’ve Loved You So Long.”

  Best Actor nominees are Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Frank Langella, Mickey Rourke, and Richard Jenkins. Best Actress nominees are Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, Melissa Leo, Meryl Streep, and Kate Winslet for “The Reader.”

  The Oscars will be handed out next month.

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  • January 22, 2009 1:10 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Academy Award nominations announced

  “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” leads the Academy Awards with 13 nominations, including Best Picture. KPCC’s Steve Julian has more on the award nominations, announced this morning.

  Steve Julian: The other Best Picture nominees are “Frost/Nixon,” “Milk,” “The Reader,” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”

  Mickey Rourke, whose career rebounded with the movie “The Wrestler”, is a nominee for Best Actor, along with Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon”, Sean Penn in “Milk”, Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, and Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor”.

  In Best Actress nominations, Sally Hawkins, who won a Golden Globe for her role in “Happy Go Lucky”, was not nominated. Nominees include Anne Hathaway for “Rachel Getting Married”; Angelina Jolie for “Changeling”; Melissa Leo for “Frozen River”; Meryl Streep for “Doubt”; and Kate Winslet for “The Reader”.

  The late actor Heath Ledger became the 6th actor to receive a posthumous nomination, in this case, Best Supporting Actor in “The Dark Knight”.

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  • January 22, 2009 1:05 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Feds charge Californian with shipping sensitive technology to China

  A federal grand jury has indicted a Southern California man on charges related to exporting sensitive technology to China. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Authorities accuse Michael Ming Zhang of Rancho Cucamonga of exporting electronic components with dual civilian and military uses. That’s a violation of federal law.

  The items included “static random access memory” devices, a type of semiconductor that can be used on military tanks.

  The indictment alleges that Zhang refrained from buying the technology from one supplier after he found out it was illegal to export it to China. He then allegedly bought the components from a different supplier.

  The indictment also accuses Zhang and Policarpo Coronado Gamboa of Foothill, California, of conspiring to sell counterfeit computer parts in the United States. Zhang allegedly imported more than 4,000 fake Cisco networking parts from China.

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  • January 22, 2009 12:55 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Local company distributed potentially contaminated cookie dough

  There’s a very short list of Southland schools that sold peanut butter cookie dough potentially contaminated with salmonella: 93rd Street Elementary in L.A., Fremont Elementary in Alhambra, and Barstow Intermediate in San Bernardino. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario spoke with the distributor who supplied the plastic tubs of dough to the schools for fundraising.

  Patricia Nazario: Sweet Success Fundraising is a family-owned company in Ontario that started three months ago. Its president, George Reynoso, says business has been great so far. But after this…

  George Reynoso: It’s probably gonna take a pretty good hit.

  Nazario: Reynoso describes his company as an innocent victim. It bought the peanut butter cookie dough from a Garden Grove company called Key Lime West. That company produced the cookie dough with peanut butter paste it purchased from Peanut Corporation of America in Georgia – that’s where public health officials believe the salmonella contamination possibly happened.

  Reynoso: We have pulled off the Peanut Butter Cookie Dough off of our line and we will not offer it again to the public until we know that it is safe.

  Nazario: Reynoso says his company ordered 180 tubs of the bacteria-laden batch and distributed 170 of them. Sweet Success has 10 left in its warehouse. Reynoso says he’ll keep them around in case L.A. County health officials want a closer look.

  Note: The federal Food and Drug Administration has recalled more than 125 products containing peanut butter from the Georgia processing company. The salmonella bacteria can cause serious infections, especially in young and elderly people.

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  • January 21, 2009 5:13 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Obama administration sending encouraging signals about arts

  Beyond the emphasis on music and poetry during the inaugural celebrations, creative people are hoping that the new president will promote the arts and culture in a substantive way.

  Robert Lynch, a longtime arts administrator who heads Americans for the Arts, said he believes the administration’s sending encouraging signals so far.

  Robert Lynch: “The hallmark of how President Obama comments on the arts over the last years is that he is not just talking about the White House itself, he’s talking about the entire country. He’s talking about the arts being part of every school district, inner city schools, impoverished neighborhoods, wealthy neighborhoods - the towns and cities across the country.”

  Lynch spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” As he acknowledged during his first speech as president, Barack Obama faces a very long list of domestic and international priorities - and an economy in recession.

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  • January 21, 2009 5:06 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Politics/Public Affairs

• Hollywood blogger talks about Obama commitment to arts

  One of the new president’s many stated commitments is a higher profile for the arts and culture. Hollywood blogger Sharon Waxman told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that the federal government needs to renew its investment in the arts.

  Sharon Waxman: “It’s been a long time since the government even been willing to pay any attention to any, either to high culture or low culture. We’re not talking about performances at the White House; I’m sure there were lots of those. I’m really hoping that we’re going to see an Obama administration that takes a much more activist kind of role in what the arts mean in our culture, in our society.”

  Sharon Waxman is editor-in-chief of TheWrap.com, a Web site covering Hollywood and the media that launches next week. She’s a former entertainment reporter for the New York Times.

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  • January 21, 2009 5:03 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Politics/Public Affairs

• Student takes 'no cussing' campaign to 'The Tonight Show'

  A South Pasadena High School student takes his “no cussing” campaign on “The Tonight Show” tonight. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze says it’s the latest in a series of media appearances for 14-year-old McKay Hatch.

  Frank Stoltze: Hatch started his “no cussing” club in middle school.

  McKay Hatch: What happened was when I got out of elementary to middle school, all my friends that I thought would never cuss started cussing. And at first I didn’t know why but then I realized later that they were doing it to fit in or be cool or whatever you want to call it. And at first the cussing just bothered me.

  Stoltze: This MSNBC story was one of many about Hatch. He says the coverage inspired “no cussing” clubs in 47 states. Hatch has faced a backlash too, in the form of profane and threatening e-mails. The FBI reportedly has looked into them. The South Pasadena teen remains undeterred. He’s got a Web site, NoCussing.com, and he’s produced a rap video.

  Hatch (in video): If you wanna be my peer, please protect my ears, don’t cuss.

  Stoltze: Next week, Hatch’s book hits the shelves. It’s called “The No Cussing Club: How I Fought Peer Pressure and How You Can Too.”

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  • January 21, 2009 3:36 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Society/Culture

• Peanut butter cookie dough possibly contaminated with salmonella

  Los Angeles County health officials have narrowed down the schools that sold peanut butter cookie dough potentially contaminated with salmonella.

  They are 93rd Street Elementary in L.A., Fremont Elementary in Alhambra, and Barstow Intermediate in San Bernardino.

  Sweet Success Fundraising in Ontario is the only Southland company that’s admitted it may have distributed the bacteria-laden product. Its owner, George Reynoso, says it acted for safety’s sake.

  George Reynoso: “What the other companies are doing, I have no control of. But we wanna be responsible enough, so that people can trust us, and they know that if something ever comes up and there’s any problem with our product, we’re not gonna hide, we’re not gonna run away. We’re not gonna do anything but come forward and let them know.”

  Public health officials are asking people not to use frozen peanut butter cookie dough sold in plastic tubs. About a dozen distribution companies in the Southland supply similar products to student fundraisers – schools, Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs, marching bands, cheerleading, and sports organizations.

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  • January 21, 2009 3:32 PM
  • Categories: Health

• Long Beach philanthropist Robert Gumbiner dies of cancer

  Philanthropist Robert Gumbiner, the founder of a massive health maintenance organization and of Long Beach’s Museum of Latin American Art, has died at age 85. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Sixty years ago, just out of medical school in Indiana, Gumbiner landed in Long Beach and established his medical practice. Not long after, he became frustrated with the fee-for-service model of health care. He felt it was inefficient, so he lobbied doctors in his practice to start a pre-payment model.

  In 1961 that led to the founding of FHP International, a company that managed care for more than a million people in 11 states. Gumbiner left FHP a dozen years ago and the company merged with another HMO.

  Gumbiner’s passion for contemporary Latin American art grew during trips to treat people in poor towns. He bought so much art, that 12 years ago he founded the non-profit Museum of Latin American Art to exhibit his drawings, paintings, and sculpture.

  A museum spokeswoman said Gumbiner felt strongly that the museum would become his lasting legacy. About a year ago he cut the ribbon on a $40 million expansion his foundation had paid for.

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  • January 21, 2009 3:13 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Society/Culture

• Judge releases juror notes in trial of ex-OC sheriff

  The federal judge who oversaw the corruption trial of former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona has released a couple of notes by jurors. KPCC’s Susan Valot says they sent the notes to the judge during deliberations.

  Susan Valot: A juror sent one of the notes two days before the jury acquitted Carona of all but a single charge of witness tampering. The note said that another juror “wishes to acquit” and “wants to party with Carona and his women.”

  The juror told Judge Andrew Guilford there were certain jurors “who slept all through the presentations, who have not written down one single word in their trial notebooks, but, who have suddenly ‘come alive’ and just want to acquit.”

  Another juror asked to talk to the judge about a matter the juror thought should be brought to his attention. The note did not say what the juror was talking about.

  Judge Guilford questioned both jurors, and told the panel to continue deliberating. He released the notes at the request of prosecutors. Carona’s attorneys say they might use the notes in their appeal of his witness tampering conviction.

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  • January 21, 2009 3:06 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Hilton Hotels to move headquarters to Washington DC

  Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels Corporation plans to move its global headquarters out of the Southland by late this year. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has more about today’s announcement.

  Cheryl Devall: The hospitality company’s officials say it’ll be cheaper - and better for business strategy – to operate from the Washington, D.C. area than from Beverly Hills. A statement on the corporate Web site says that in addition to operating costs, Hilton’s ability to attract and keep talented people factored into the decision to move.

  Hilton’s been looking to expand beyond its present holdings. They include 3,200 properties - from Hampton Inns to Waldorf-Astorias with a lot of Hilton Hotels in between - in 77 countries. The company employs about 135,000 people, and there’s no word yet on how the headquarters move will affect the ones who work in Hilton’s corporate offices.

  A year and a half ago, when private equity firm Blackstone Group bought Hilton, business observers predicted that the hotelier might relocate its base to cut costs. Hilton Hotels is one of the largest publicly-traded companies in Los Angeles County.

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  • January 21, 2009 3:03 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• State legislator says fed aid won't fix state budget crisis

  They went to Washington, D.C. for the Obama Inauguration - but the state legislature’s top Democrats stuck around an extra day to talk with California’s congressional delegation.

  Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg told reporters on a conference call that he’s confident Congress will pass an economic stimulus package by mid-February. He says it could bring billions to California.

  Darrell Steinberg: “If it’s 10, if it’s 12, if it’s 8 – it will be a huge help, but not a substitute for the deficit reduction work we have to do directly in Sacramento.”

  Assembly Speaker Karen Bass - who also met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill – says California will not get bailed out by the federal government. She says deep cuts to state programs will still be part of any budget solution, as will new taxes.

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  • January 21, 2009 3:01 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Oscar nominations to be announced Thursday morning

  The inaugural balls are so last night, but Hollywood A-listers have another big party to anticipate. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says the Motion Picture Academy will announce nominations for the 81st annual Academy Awards in the morning.

  Cheryl Devall: The likely nominees for multiple awards have been in Southland theaters for weeks. They include “Frost/Nixon,” “Slumdog Millionaire,” “Revolutionary Road,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” A few outsider favorites - “The Wrestler,” “Frozen River,” and “Rachel Getting Married” are also playing on some screens.

  But many people beyond New York and Los Angeles have yet to see most of the critics’ picks for last year’s best flicks. One reason is that to qualify for an Oscar, films only have to play in the two largest American cities during a given year.

  The other reason is the economy. Studios have held back on wide releases for some contenders unless an Oscar nomination can bolster their marketing campaigns. So one result of the crack-of-dawn announcement will be that your friends in Milwaukee can finally see some of the movies you’ve been talking about. The Oscar ceremony’s scheduled a month from now at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater.

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  • January 21, 2009 1:46 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Jury selection nearly finished in Esperanza Fire arson trial

  Jury selection is nearly finished in the trial of the man accused of starting the deadly Esperanza Wildfire in the Banning Pass two years ago. Raymond Lee Oyler faces five counts of first-degree murder and dozens of arson-related charges. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas says once the jury’s in place, opening statements will begin.

  Steven Cuevas: Riverside County prosecutors plan to portray Oyler as a skilled and ambitious arsonist who set larger and larger fires until he touched off the 40,000 acre Esperanza Fire.

  Five U.S. Forest Service firefighters from Idyllwild were overtaken by flames in the first few hours of the wind-driven wildfire. All five died.

  Many of the arson charges against the 38-year-old auto mechanic stem from smaller fires set in the days before the Esperanza Fire. Oyler has pleaded “not guilty” to all charges.

  Soon after Oyler’s arrest two years ago, the district attorney vowed to seek the death penalty. Oyler’s defense attorney wanted the trial moved from Riverside County - claiming his client faced a vigilante atmosphere.

  Superior Court Judge W. Charles Morgan refused. The judge and the trial attorneys whittled down a pool of more than 300 prospective jurors. The ones who made the cut can expect a two-month trial.

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  • January 21, 2009 1:44 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Environment

• Corrections Department says prisoner medical transfer unnecessary

  The court-appointed federal receiver for California’s prison health care system wants 7,000 inmates transferred from Central Valley prisons into facilities where they can get better medical care.

  Scott Kernan, undersecretary for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, contends that won’t be necessary. He says the department has transferred inmates when the receiver says they need medical care.

  Scott Kernan: “It is not a unique situation that we transfer inmates that the receivership identifies. Where I think they went too far is to identify wholesale without any reasonable analysis of the inmates’ medical conditions - 7,000 offenders is what appears very nonsensical to us.”

  Kernan spoke on KPCC’s “AirTalk.” The state has been reluctant to release $8 billion federal receiver Clark Kelso says the corrections department needs to build adequate medical facilities for inmates.

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  • January 21, 2009 1:40 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• State shoots down prison medical proposal

  The state corrections department is shooting down a proposal by the man in charge of improving prison health care in California. Federal Receiver Clark Kelso wants to transfer up to 7,000 sick inmates in the Central Valley to facilities with better medical care. Kelso spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle.

  Clark Kelso: “In particular we’ve got four facilities right in the middle of the state where I just can’t hire doctors and keep them on staff. And we need to move the inmates from those facilities to facilities that are closer to urban areas where I am able to keep doctors and nurses on staff.”

  Kelso made the request in a court filing yesterday. A spokesman for the state department of corrections and rehabilitation says the proposal is unnecessary and a waste of taxpayer dollars.

  Kelso’s court filing is the latest salvo in an ongoing battle with the state. Kelso has been fighting to get $8 billion to build new medical facilities. The governor and lawmakers have balked at the plan amid California’s budget problems.

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  • January 21, 2009 1:38 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA County unemployment could rise above 10 percent

  The December unemployment numbers for Los Angeles County will be released later this week. The county’s unemployment rate was almost at 9 percent in November. KPCC’s business analyst Mark Lacter says it’s likely that in the next couple of months, that rate could rise above 10 percent.

  Mark Lacter: “Perhaps by quite a bit - and many of those lost jobs will be in the retail and service sectors. With so many low-wage workers losing their jobs, it puts enormous strains on the government’s safety net, which explains why there’s so much concern about the state of California running out of cash for unemployment benefits.”

  Lacter says there’s concern that higher unemployment could lead to more foreclosures, because people won’t have the money to pay their mortgages.

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  • January 21, 2009 11:29 AM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Skid Row students watch Inauguration, ask Obama to go to work

  Hundreds of children gathered on the playground of a Skid Row school to watch President Obama’s inauguration on a Jumbo-tron TV. These students at Para Los Ninos Charter School spoke with KPCC’s Frank Stoltze.

  Nick: “Now he’s officially the president because he already took the oath. So now he can move into the White House for four years until they can re-elect him or elect a new president.”

  Yancy: “I think that he needs to help us with the economy because lots of parents and families are losing things like their homes.”
  Frank Stoltze: “Has your family been affected by the economy?”
  Yancy: “Yeah, my mom is losing jobs.”

  Julio: “Like, I think he needs to help all the Latinos and African Americans, like, by giving them legal papers so they can move in and also get better jobs.”

  Nick, Yancy, and Julio attend Para Los Ninos Charter School on Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles.

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  • January 20, 2009 5:40 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• African Americans gather at church hall to watch Inauguration

  Hundreds of African-Americans at First AME Church in South Los Angeles shared applause, laughter and cheers during President Barack Obama’s Inauguration today. That was especially true as civil rights leader Reverend Joseph Lowery concluded his benediction. Here’s the moment:

  Reverend Joseph Lowery: “And in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black would not have to get back. (Audience gasps) When brown can stick around. (Applause) When yellow will be mellow. (Laughter) When the Red Man can get ahead, man. (Cheers) And when White will embrace what is right. (Screams and applause) Will all those who do justice and love mercy say, “Amen.”
  Audience: “Amen.”
  Lowery: “Say Amen.”
  Audience: “Amen.”
  Lowery: “And Amen.”
  Audience: “Amen!”

  Note: KPCC’s Patricia Nazario captured the moment during this morning’s prayer breakfast at First AME Church. Obama spoke at the iconic South L.A. congregation a year and a half ago… long before he’d become the Democratic Party’s nominee. Back then he asked worshippers to help him win the White House.

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  • January 20, 2009 3:08 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Religion/Spirituality

• Local Mexican American reflects on presidential Inauguration

  Some Southland Latinos reflected on the historic nature of the Obama Inauguration as they watched Spanish-language TV broadcasts of the event. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has the story.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Mexico City native Marco Antonio Amaro watched the Inauguration over a plate of “bistek ranchero” at his favorite Long Beach restaurant.

  Television Translator: Por fin llego a las paredes de la Casa Blanca.

  Marco Antonio Amaro: Porque ya se rompieron todas las barreras de que no existe la democracia aqui.

  Guzman-Lopez: Amaro said the Inauguration of the first African American president leads him to believe more strongly in this country’s promise of equality. He supported the new president’s campaign, he said, after his college-educated son told him of Barack Obama’s academic credentials and drive to succeed. Amaro hopes the new president is able to improve the economy and carry out immigration reform.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:42 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Assemblyman Lieu is thankful his kids will grow up with an African-American president

  One California lawmaker who shivered through President Barack Obama’s inauguration is state Assembly Member Ted Lieu. He said he was inspired by what this day might mean for his children’s generation.

  Assemblyman Ted Lieu: “I keep thinking that my two young children, five-and-a-half and three, they’re going to grow up seeing an African-American president and think that’s completely normal. And that is such an amazing gift, and I’m just so happy for today.”

  Lieu, a Democrat who represents parts of Los Angeles, Torrance, and Venice, said he’ll speak with federal lawmakers while he’s in DC to push for swift passage of an economic stimulus package. The infrastructure bond measures California voters approved in November won’t go into effect until federal matching funds are in place.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:39 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Director of Nixon Library weighs in on Obama presidency

  Several dozen people gathered at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda today to watch the Inauguration on a big screen TV. It’s one of only a handful of presidential libraries across the nation that held an Inauguration viewing party. KPCC’s Susan Valot says the location was fitting.

  Susan Valot: If you look at the end of Richard Nixon’s presidency, there are some similarities to today: an unpopular president, an unpopular war, the need for a country to unite and move forward. Tim Naftali is the director of the Nixon Library and Museum. He says today and Nixon’s era both represent periods of history when the country is desperate for change.

  Tim Naftali: The previous administration leaves under a cloud and is very unpopular. And when there are unpopular presidencies, the country is desperate for a healer. Gerald Ford was a healer and moved the country forward. And I have a great deal of hope and a great deal of expectation that Barack Obama will be another healer who will also move us forward.

  Valot: Naftali says that desire to move forward crosses partisan boundaries.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:29 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Assemblyman Lieu says Obama's speech was somber call to action

  State assembly member Ted Lieu, who represents parts of Los Angeles, Venice, and Torrance, described President Obama’s inaugural address as exceptional… and somber. Lieu said he heard a message for Californians in the president’s call for action.

  Assemblyman Ted Lieu: “I think it’s important that he tell us that we need to get to work and to stop being childish. I thought that was one of the best statements that he made. And that’s what we need to do here in California, is to get together and pass a budget.”

  Before he returns to California to work on the state budget, Lieu plans to attend tonight’s western regional inaugural ball.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:20 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Pastor Rick Warren counsels humility during inaugural invocation

  Amid the celebration that marked President Barack Obama’s Inauguration, Saddleback Church Pastor Rick Warren reminded those present not to lose sight of humility when they fall short.

  Rick Warren: “When we focus on ourselves. When we fight each other and we forget you, forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone, forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve, forgive us.”

  The new president chose Warren, one of the country’s most influential evangelical ministers, to offer the invocation after the two became friends during the long campaign for the White House.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:12 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Religion/Spirituality

• California Latinos watch presidential Inauguration in Spanish

  Spanish-language television broadcasts allowed Latino immigrants across the Southland to hear today’s presidential Inauguration with simultaneous translation. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez listened in.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Both televisions at El Rey Bakery in Long Beach amplified the new president’s inaugural address among trays of Mexican sweet bread and carne asada.

  President Barack Obama: Our challenges may be new…
  Translator: Nuestros desafios pueden ser nuevos…

  Guzman-Lopez: Virginia Moran, a beautician in Long Beach, stopped in with her husband to buy some coffee and bread. She lingered awhile to watch the address.

  Virginia Moran: Tengo fe en el. Ojala que saque el pais. Porque esta mal.

  Guzman-Lopez: Moran said she trusts that President Barack Obama can help lift the country out of its economic doldrums. Business at her beauty shop has fallen off, and her 24-year-old son lost his job at a print shop last week.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:08 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Senator Dianne Feinstein notes historic nature of Obama presidency

  The chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee, California Senator Dianne Feinstein, noted the historic nature of President Obama’s Inauguration during her welcoming remarks to the largest crowd Washington DC has ever seen.

  Senator Dianne Feinstein: “Future generations will mark this morning as the turning point for real and necessary change in our nation. They will look back and remember that this was the moment when the dream that once echoed across history from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial finally reached the walls of the White House.”

  The first American president of African descent mentioned in his inaugural address that barely 60 years ago his father, a Kenyan student, would probably have been refused service at many restaurants in the District of Columbia.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:04 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Saddleback Church pastor Rick Warren delivers inaugural invocation

  The pastor of Orange County’s Saddleback Church, Rick Warren, delivered the invocation at this morning’s Inauguration.

  Warren told the listening crowd that Barack Obama’s election as the nation’s first black president represents a “hingepoint of history.”

  Rick Warren: “We are so grateful to live in this land, a land of unequaled possibility where the son of an African immigrant can rise to the highest level of our leadership. And we know today that Dr. King and a cloud of witnesses are shouting in heaven.”

  Warren is a nationally known evangelical minister. He was a controversial choice to deliver the invocation. Gay rights and liberal groups have been upset at Warren over his support of Proposition 8, the voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage in California.

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  • January 20, 2009 2:01 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Religion/Spirituality

• Speaker Bass says Obama Inauguration signifies hope in perilous times

  California Assembly Speaker Karen Bass is in Washington, DC for the Inauguration ceremony and festivities.

  Assemblywoman Karen Bass: “I think it just signifies tremendous hope in perilous times. We’re going to have a new face, a person who’s coming in who believes in grass-roots involvement and is already mobilizing the people that were involved in his campaign to help support the change that we need to bring about in our country. And I think he’s the type of person and type of leader that understands that it’s not some celebrity or some hero that saves the day, but the day is saved through the involvement of millions of people around the country, and I think he’s going to be a catalyst for that.”

  Bass, a Los Angeles Democrat, was an early supporter of Barack Obama’s presidential campaign. While she’s in Washington she plans to meet with the new president’s transition team, and to ask for help with California’s looming budget gap.

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  • January 20, 2009 1:52 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Skid Row resident finds inspiration in Obama's Inauguration

  Today’s Inauguration of President Obama inspired people at every level of society. Jonathan Bibbens has seen a lot. He was in Birmingham, Alabama when a bomb killed four young girls at the 16th Street Church in 1963. Now, he lives in a Skid Row shelter, struggling with addiction and trying to find a job.

  Jonathan Bibbens: “Obama inspires all of us to look deep within ourselves and try to draw from within that God-given spirit – that if we look deep enough, we’ll tap into some resource that will allow us the opportunity to pull ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and get on the move to a better life.”

  Bibbens says he watched “every minute” of the Inauguration on a TV at the Weingart Center, a non-profit that provides services to people on Skid Row.

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  • January 20, 2009 1:47 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Senator Dianne Feinstein speaks on historical significance of Inauguration

  California Senator Dianne Feinstein welcomed the crowd at this morning’s Inauguration. She said the freedom of a people to choose its leaders lies at the root of liberty.

  Senator Dianne Feinstein: “Those who doubt the supremacy of the ballot over the bullet can never diminish the power engendered by nonviolent struggles for justice and equality, like the one that made this day possible. No triumph tainted by brutality could ever match the sweet victory of this hour and of what it means to those who marched and died to make it a reality.”

  Feinstein went on to say that future generations would mark this morning as the turning point for real and necessary change in our nation.

  Feinstein made these remarks in her role as chair of the Presidential Inaugural Committee.

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  • January 20, 2009 1:43 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Assembly speaker recalls finding temperamental kinship with Obama

  State assembly speaker Karen Bass says she found a political kindred spirit early in Barack Obama’s campaign for president. She says that’s because their leadership styles are very similar.

  Assemblywoman Karen Bass: “Consensus-building. Bringing people together from both sides and striving to reach compromise and not personalizing. And I love the ‘No drama Obama’ because I’m a no drama person too.”

  Bass, a Democrat from Los Angeles, traveled to Washington for the inaugural festivities. When she returns to Sacramento, she’ll resume budget talks with other legislative leaders and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. California’s budget deficit could exceed $40 billion by next year.

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  • January 20, 2009 1:38 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Californian says Inauguration weather proves an old quote true

  Sam Hall Kaplan, a commentator for KPCC’s “Off-Ramp,” watched the Inauguration from the edge of the national Mall in Washington DC.

  Kaplan says no one seemed to mind the extreme cold today. He found symbolism in the weather.

  Sam Hall Kaplan: “A racist evangelicus (sic) once said, ‘A black man become president? Only when hell freezes over.’ And indeed, hell froze over this morning on the Mall, and a black man became president.”

  Kaplan attended the ceremony with his wife, kids, grandkids, and in-laws. His 105-year-old mother watched from home. He says he phoned his mother this morning, and she joked that he should make sure to go to the restroom before he set out for the event. Most spectators on the Mall arrived there hours before the ceremony.

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  • January 20, 2009 1:30 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Glendale resident attends Inauguration with daughter, savors historical moment

  Christopher Murray of Glendale watched the Inauguration ceremony from near the World War II monument on the national mall.

  Christopher Murray: “I have my 9-year-old daughter with me, and even though she might not understand it now, at some point when she’s my age, she’s going to look back and say, ‘I was there.’ And there’s very few points in our nation’s history when people remember something positive and remember where they were.”

  Murray, whose father Don Murray starred in the groundbreaking political drama “Advise and Consent,” decided just last Friday that he needed to attend the Inauguration in person. He said that despite the cold and the long lines, everyone’s smiling and in a good mood.

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  • January 20, 2009 1:26 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Glendale resident attends Inauguration with daughter, savors historical moment

  Christopher Murray of Glendale watched the Inauguration ceremony from near the World War II monument on the national mall.

  Christopher Murray: “Murray: I have my 9-year-old daughter with me, and even though she might not understand it now, at some point when she’s my age, she’s going to look back and say, ‘I was there.’ And there’s very few points in our nation’s history when people remember something positive and remember where they were.”

  Murray, whose father Don Murray starred in the groundbreaking political drama “Advise and Consent,” decided just last Friday that he needed to attend the Inauguration in person. He said that despite the cold and the long lines, everyone’s smiling and in a good mood.

  Tools

  • January 20, 2009 1:26 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Young Californian at Inauguration talks of history, service

  California’s senior U.S. Senator, Diane Feinstein, presided over the inauguration ceremonies, and plenty of her constituents were in the audience.

  17-year-old Joe Kellner made the trip from Petaluma. He spoke with KPCC’s John Rabe a few minutes after the ceremony.

  Joe Kellner: “I wanted to see history, and I knew that I would never forget it. It’s something that I’ll be able to tell my grandchildren.”
  John Rabe: “Obama talked about everybody working together to bring America back up. Do you plan to volunteer, do you plan to get involved in that effort to do what he was talking about?”
  Kellner: “Oh, yeah, of course. I already volunteer around my town, like the food kitchen, the homeless shelter. And that’s what it takes, it just takes… everyone has to make an effort.”

  In his Inaugural Address, President Barack Obama called upon Americans to take responsibility toward reversing “our collective failure to make hard choices.”

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  • January 20, 2009 1:02 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Pasadena resident espresses hope for more cooperation in Obama Administration

  Charlotte Butler, who lives in Pasadena, says she’s looking forward to the Obama administration because she believes the new president is a team player, and she believes he’ll use that skill to improve the domestic economy.

  Charlotte Butler: “My first big hope for him is to have the best, warm reception when he gets the Cabinet, and the Senate comes together, although we’re leading in the Senate. He’s reaching out to them. I want them to reach back out to him and say ‘Barack, you are our new president, what can we do to make this situation better?’”

  Butler says she also hopes the branches of government will cooperate better under a new administration.

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  • January 20, 2009 12:52 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Southern Californian says Obama faces tough challenges

  Southern Californians who couldn’t travel to Washington for the Inauguration say they’ll closely watch President Barack Obama’s first days in office. Delbert Mathis of San Bernardino says Obama will face serious global and domestic challenges.

  Delbert Mathis: “I hope he’ll just level things out and get things back to normal where people can work and live and enjoy life. That’s going to be a difficult task with all the wars and different things going on in different countries. Going to be hard so maybe locally it will get better.”

  Mathis grew up in Pasadena, where he says his friends and family are overjoyed at the start of a new presidential administration.

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  • January 20, 2009 12:47 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Guerrilla Gardeners volunteer on MLK Day

  L.A.’s Guerrilla Gardeners routinely weed, water, and plant plots in the Hollywood and Silver Lake neighborhoods. On this national day of service they signed up more volunteers than usual. One of the first-timers – a white-haired woman named Donna – brought a jade plant to adorn a patch of dirt along Sunset Boulevard.

  Donna: “I’m out here because the president-elect wants Americans to give back and give back to their community, and it’s a great sentiment. And I wanted to support him and I wanted to support my community!”

  She says President-elect Obama has inspired her to keep volunteering in her civic backyard during the months ahead.

  Tools

  • January 19, 2009 4:26 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs, Society/Culture

• Secret Service spokesman says security not about race

  The U.S. Secret Service has offered protection to Barack Obama and his family since May of 2007 – earlier than for any presidential candidate in history. That said, agency spokesman Malcolm Wiley told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” the reason for that level of security wasn’t only about race.

  Malcolm Wiley: “It would almost be a disservice to previous presidents to say that because Barack Obama is an African-American president that we are substantially changing the way that we do security. As an agency we always have to prepare at the highest level no matter who the president is.

  “And so the fact that he’s an African-American really doesn’t change what we do a whole lot. Within that top tier there may be adjustments that we make, but it’s not even possible for us to go to a higher level because we are always at the highest level.”

  That includes metal detector screening for people who plan to stand along the route of the inaugural parade.

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  • January 19, 2009 4:24 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Secret Service spokesman talks about inauguration security

  The Obama inauguration isn’t just one of the largest events ever in the nation’s capital, it’s a major deployment for domestic security personnel. U.S. Secret Service spokesman Malcolm Wiley told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that his agency has formed 23 subcommittees to look at every aspect of the inauguration.

  Malcolm Wiley: “Each of those subcommittees just has one particular piece of the puzzle. For instance, there is a subcommittee for airspace security. And that particular subcommittee is staffed by people from the federal government, and from the military, and from local and state government who are just looking at that one particular aspect of security preparations. And so, I give you that number just to let you know that we are looking at everything. Anything that could possibly happen, we are planning for.”

  Wiley’s agency has designated the swearing-in and parade a national special security event. People who hope to line the parade route will have to pass through metal detectors first.

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  • January 19, 2009 4:20 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• 8-year-old talks about Obama inspiration

  President-elect Barack Obama has made improving education an important goal of his administration. He may be surprised to know he’s already inspired students like 8-year-old Cheyenne Clark of Los Angeles.

  Cheyenne Clark: “And I’m so happy that Obama becomes the president because that speech that he said, it was so touching. I love that speech where he says “‘yes we can.’ Because when I think I don’t know a answer to a test, I think of his speech ‘yes we can’ and I just write my answer down.”

  Clark was one of thousands of people who turned out for the annual parade saluting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Vendors who sold t-shirts, bobble-head dolls, and other items bearing the likeness of the first African-American president lined the parade route along Martin Luther King and Crenshaw boulevards in South L.A.

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  • January 19, 2009 4:17 PM
  • Categories: Education, History, Politics/Public Affairs

• 8th grader talks about Obama inauguration

  The inauguration of America’s 44th president is less than 24 hours away. Some Southland visitors to the nation’s capital are braving the cold to witness the historic event. Fourteen-year old Theodore Tinker from Chatsworth is in Washington, D.C. with his eighth-grade American history class. He checked in with KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

  Theodore Tinker: “This is an amazing feeling. I really feel that I am here when history is being made. I’m glad that I get to go here with the rest of my school.”

  Tinker attends Lawrence Magnet Middle School in Chatsworth. He said he can’t wait to tell all his friends about his experience at the Inauguration when he gets back home.

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  • January 19, 2009 4:14 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• MLK parade attendee talks about significance of Obama inauguration

  The annual Martin Luther King Day parade in south Los Angeles took on special significance this year for Zenora Hicks, on the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration.

  Zenora Hicks: “I’m not just proud to be an African-American, I’m proud to be an American because our president comes from two sides of the world. He’s not just African-American, he comes from two different people, and that’s what being an American is all about. And that’s what I want to show my children. And it gives everyone in this world a fighting chance to be someone.”

  This year’s parade featured marching bands from Compton, Inglewood, and Dominguez high schools, Korean folk dancers, and appearances by LAPD Chief Bill Bratton and L.A. County Sheriff Lee Baca.

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  • January 19, 2009 4:11 PM
  • Categories: History, Politics/Public Affairs

• Wilmington residents emotional ahead of Obama inauguration

  The prevailing mood in and around the nation’s capital as the inauguration approaches seems to be respect for the historical moment, and also a kind of relief, says KPCC’s Shirley Jahad.

  Shirley Jahad: “For instance I was in Wilmington, Delaware when the president-elect’s train went by, there was a short rally there. And people were joyous and excited, but just under the surface, I’d ask a couple of questions and they would start tearing up. They’d start crying. This happened with half a dozen people.

  “Men, women, black, white, younger, older. And when I talked to one woman, she had voted for President Bush in the past, now she’s voted for Obama and through her tears when I asked her why she was crying she just expressed in her terms, in her words, ‘it’s a great country, and we messed it up, and now we have to revive it.’”

  We’ll be hearing more from KPCC’s Shirley Jahad and Brian Watt in Washington, D.C., and also from KPCC listeners throughout the Southland, on the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

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  • January 19, 2009 1:23 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• State controller optimistic about budget deal

  State controller John Chiang says he’s optimistic that the legislature and governor will agree soon on a budget deal, after they see how the budget delay is affecting Californians.

  Chiang confirmed on KPCC’s “AirTalk” that starting February 1st, the state will suspend more than $3.5 billion in payments. That includes tax refunds, grants for college students, and disbursements to counties.

  John Chiang: “I am going to pay payments as required by the California constitution, federal law, and court order. Top of the priority would be education payments, followed by debt service. I have to manage California’s cash so that we do not default, which would have even worse ramifications.”

  Chiang says that if the state continues at its current spending pace, it will be $346 million in the red on February 27th.

  Los Angeles County says it will continue to cover welfare payments to more than half a million local recipients, if the state suspends those payments.

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  • January 19, 2009 12:57 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Historian warns against comparing Obama with past presidents

  During transitions from one administration to another, it’s tempting to draw comparisons between leaders. Presidential historian John Robert Greene warns against doing that.

  John Robert Greene: “The moment will speak for itself. Barack Obama could probably just stand there and stare at the crowd and the moment would fling him into his first hundred days without saying a word – less is more. And I think we are going to hear a un-Kennedy-like address tomorrow; a very laid back patient and prudent type rather than a call to arms.”

  Greene noted on KPCC’s “AirTalk” that John F. Kennedy gave a passionate inaugural address 48 years ago that “demanded things happen overnight,” and that historians at the time judged him harshly for it. Greene thinks Obama – whom he described as a moderate – is wise to play down expectations.

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  • January 19, 2009 12:53 PM
  • Categories: History, Politics/Public Affairs

• Food bank president hopes inaugural address mentions hunger

  The Obama administration will officially begin work this week on some of the greatest challenges to face the country in recent memory. John Knapp, who heads the Food Bank of Southern California, ranks hunger as the biggest problem.

  John Knapp: “We’re seeing a fatigue, a donor fatigue, a feeding fatigue. It’s increasing at an alarming rate in the last six months.”

  Knapp says he and the 700 churches and charities he supplies food to are straining to keep up with a near 40 percent increase in the number of people who need help. He says 500 people who helped elect Barack Obama have also lent a hand to the food bank.

  Knapp: “We’re getting a tremendous amount of volunteers from the Obama campaign. He has told all of his precincts, I guess, in different areas, ‘go to a food bank and start volunteering.’ Never seen that before, under any administration.”

  Knapp says he’s hoping the president-elect mentions the problem of hunger in his inaugural address on Tuesday.

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  • January 19, 2009 10:27 AM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Food bank president hopes Obama addresses hunger

  Churches and charities are straining to keep up with increasing numbers of people who need help feeding themselves and their families. KPCC’s Debra Baer reports that the head of one of the region’s largest food banks harbors high hopes for tomorrow’s inaugural address.

  Debra Baer: The Food Bank of Southern California distributes about half a million pounds of food a day from its Long Beach warehouse to almost 700 churches and charities. Food bank president John Knapp says that amount isn’t enough to keep pace with a near 40 percent increase in requests for help this winter. He says he hopes President-elect Barack Obama will focus the nation’s attention on the problem.

  John Knapp: “I hope in his inaugural address he mentions the word ‘hunger’ because very few people mention the word ‘hunger.’ It’s a national disgrace. I believe it’s the biggest problem facing our country. The wars are terrible, foreclosures are terrible, but if you can’t eat, everything literally falls apart.”

  Knapp says Obama has already done something no other recent president-elect has done. He urged his election campaign volunteers to help out their local food banks. Close to 500 have lent a hand to sort food at the regional facility in Long Beach.

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  • January 19, 2009 10:24 AM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Shepard Fairey thanks wife for making Obama portrait possible

  From alley walls in downtown Los Angeles to the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., the work of Los Feliz-based artist Shepard Fairey has taken quite a journey. Fairey created a high-contrast, red-and-blue poster of Barack Obama that’s become an icon. During the weekend, the National Portrait Gallery displayed that image on a wall marked “New Arrivals.” At the unveiling ceremony, Fairey had some important people to thank.

  Shepard Fairey: “My wife, Amanda, (laughter, applause) for granting me the time right before we were having our second child to make this illustration with our childrens’ future in mind. I mean, I’m glad everyone else could share in all this, but really, I did it for my kids.”

  Fairey also thanked Barack Obama for restoring his hope for American politics. The artist is staying in the nation’s capital for a few days to see Obama sworn in – and to attend an inaugural ball.

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  • January 19, 2009 10:13 AM
  • Categories: Arts, History, Politics/Public Affairs

• Obama image by Shepard Fairey hung in National Portrait Gallery

  Los Angeles-based graphic artist Shepard Fairey created a red and blue image of Barack Obama that became an icon. Now, an original is hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. At a ceremony at the gallery during the weekend, Fairey thanked his family for its support, and Barack Obama for his inspiration.

  Shepard Fairey: “Mainstream politics are something I’d lost faith in to a large degree. Um, sorry, politicians who are present. Hope’s a perfect word, because Obama restored my hope that this country could live up to its potential. And he’s a great leader, but it’s about all of us. And my poster was a grassroots effort, we all were involved in it. And we all need to continue to be involved.”

  Fairey is sticking around Washington for a few days to see Obama sworn in, and to attend an inaugural ball.

  Tools

  • January 19, 2009 10:08 AM
  • Categories: Arts, History, Politics/Public Affairs

• 'Paul Blart, Mall Cop' tops box office

  A new comedy about a mall cop secured the top spot at the box office this weekend. Details from KPCC’s Debra Baer.

  Debra Baer: “Paul Blart, Mall Cop” earned an estimated 33.8 million in its first weekend. Kevin James stars as a portly shopping center security guard who tries to foil a bank heist. Sony is hoping it’ll exceed expectations by making 40 million by the end of the holiday weekend today.

  Last week’s first place movie “Gran Torino” dropped to second with about 22 million in ticket sales. In third place was “My Bloody Valentine” – the new horror feature by Lionsgate.

  The new biodrama “Notorious,” about slain rapper Christopher “Notorious B.I.G” Wallace, opened in fourth place with more than 21.5 – the biggest opening ever for Fox Searchlight. And “Hotel for Dogs,” Paramount’s new family comedy, opened in fifth with more than 17 million.

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  • January 19, 2009 9:56 AM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Orange County pastor Rick Warren will be in D.C. to give Inaugural invocation

  Orange County Pastor Rick Warren will take center stage at Tuesday’s presidential Inauguration when he offers the invocation. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Warren heads Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, one of the largest evangelical congregations in the country. The 54-year-old pastor is unique among evangelical leaders in his call for Christians to work with people of other faiths on global poverty, AIDS, and climate change. In a recent talk, he compared himself with President-elect Barack Obama.

  Rick Warren: The point I want to make is, here are two guys who said, “We have to restore civility to civilization.” I don’t know if you’ve noticed this or not, but the world is getting ruder. It’s getting more hateful.

  Stoltze: Some gay rights activists call Warren hateful for his opposition to same-sex marriage, and his reported refusal to allow gay men and lesbians to join his church. They say they’ll wave rainbow flags in protest during his inaugural prayer.

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  • January 16, 2009 7:33 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Religion/Spirituality

• California Lottery retools its nightly drawing show

  The California Lottery’s big television show gets a big relaunch this weekend. KPCC’s Molly Peterson has the story.

  Molly Peterson: When “The Big Spin” debuted more than 23 years ago, California didn’t have much experience in the gaming business. The new state lottery’s promoters offered a televised turn of the wheel to selected players who scored a hundred bucks on scratcher cards.

  Game show star Chuck Woolery even hosted - between his emcee duties on “Love Connection” and “Scrabble.” Over the years, the range of lottery games diversified, and so did the hosts - “The Big Spin” added a Spanish-speaker.

  But last week the state retired that show. A lottery spokesman said it had become dated. On its replacement – “Make Me a Millionaire” – contestants compete for cars or cash in four different games.

  One, called California Cool, will test participants’ knowledge of the state. Lottery commissioners think this is a good time to promote gambling again – the governor wants to pay down the California’s budget deficit by borrowing against future lottery winnings.

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  • January 16, 2009 5:13 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Funeral held for Christmas Eve shooting victims

  Relatives and friends of the nine family members killed on Christmas Eve in Covina gathered for a private funeral mass and burial today. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez talked with people who attended the services in San Dimas.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Tears and laughter punctuated the services at Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church. Relatives remembered members of the Ortega, Ortiz, and Castillo families as tight-knit and fun-loving. Family friend Jose Viramontes said the priest who said the funeral mass tried to comfort survivors overwhelmed with grief.

  Jose Viramontes: The priest addressed the difference between evil and love, and what was good and what was bad, the unexplained of course. In a situation like this, how do you explain a tragedy, how do you explain the actions of another person?

  Guzman-Lopez: A relative, Bruce Pardo, shot his ex-wife, former in-laws, and several other people at the family’s Covina Christmas party and set the home on fire. Shortly after that, he apparently committed suicide.

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  • January 16, 2009 5:10 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Society/Culture

• Former Mexican foreign minister says Mexico is not a failed state

  A new report from the U.S. Joint Forces Command warns that Mexico could face a “rapid and sudden collapse” because of high levels of violence, corruption, and the widespread influence of drug cartels.

  Mexico’s former foreign minister Jorge Castaneda told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that he takes issue with the report’s conclusions.

  Jorge Castaneda: “I think that whatever the drawbacks, the defects, and the insufficiencies of Mexico state capability today and over the last 70 or 80 years, the Mexican state is nothing near to being a failed state.”

  Castaneda concedes that drug violence and corruption plague Mexico. But he maintains that his country could effectively manage those problems by creating a national police force.

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  • January 16, 2009 5:07 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Man arrested in murder of 4-year-old boy

  Los Angeles police have arrested a 25-year-old man in connection with this week’s shooting death of a 4-year-old boy just west of downtown. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Police arrested Howard Astoraga. They say he was in a group of gang members on the street who exchanged words with rivals in a car Tuesday afternoon around 4:30. Police say Astoraga pulled a gun and started firing. One of the bullets hit Roberto Lopez, Jr., who was walking with his sister to a community center two doors from their house.

  Police say more than 50 detectives canvassed the neighborhood near Belmont High School looking for tips and clues. LAPD chief Bill Bratton credited people in the area with helping officers identify Astoraga, who was released from prison last year. Police say he’d served time for auto theft, drug, and weapons convictions.

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  • January 16, 2009 4:56 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• LA-based photographer says shooting Inauguration completes circle

  Los Angeles-based photographer Bruce Talamon makes a living taking stills of actors on movie sets. But on Inauguration Day, he knows the lights, cameras, and action will all be in Washington, D.C. – focused on Barack Obama. So he’s there, too, ready to capture an historic moment from up close.

  Bruce Talamon: “I was assigned by Time Magazine in 1984 to cover Jesse Jackson. 24 years later, this is sort of completing an interesting circle because I don’t think there were a lot of people who thought that Reverend Jackson would get the nomination. Now, here, you’ve got the completion of what started. So for me, it’s kind of nice to be here.”

  Talamon and nine other photographers are collaborating on a book about the inauguration.

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  • January 16, 2009 4:53 PM
  • Categories: History, Politics/Public Affairs

• Judge says polygamist torturer is sane and can be sentenced

  A Muslim polygamist convicted last year of torturing his wives and more than a dozen children is mentally competent and can be sentenced. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas says a Riverside County judge made that ruling today after a lengthy trial delay.

  Steven Cuevas: Last June, a jury convicted Mansa Muhummed of 25 counts of torture and false imprisonment. He was supposed to be sentenced in November. But that was held up until two mental health experts checked out the 55-year-old Muhummed’s psychological and emotional stability. With their reports in hand, the judge declared Muhummed is fit for sentencing. That’ll happen next month.

  During the trial, Muhummed’s wives and children described how he starved and beat them - and often kept them from using the bathroom. The abuse happened at the family’s remote ranch in Aguanga, near the San Diego County border, and continued for years. Muhummed was arrested a decade ago after one of his wives slipped a note to a local postal worker.

  Throughout his trial, Muhummed maintained his innocence – but never denied abuse occurred. He blamed it on one of his wives. Mansa Muhummed faces seven possible life sentences.

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  • January 16, 2009 4:41 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Additional charges added against suspected Esperanza Fire arsonist

  The man accused of starting the Riverside County wildfire that killed five U.S. Forest Service firefighters now faces a couple of additional charges. Raymond Lee Oyler already faces five counts of first-degree murder - along with more than 40 arson-related charges. KPCC’s Inland Empire reporter Steven Cuevas has more.

  Steven Cuevas: The judge in the Oyler trial allowed prosecutors to add two more arson charges. But he turned down their request to add 21 others, saying the evidence was weak. Prosecutors wanted those 21 charges to strengthen their claim that the former Beaumont mechanic was an accomplished and deadly arsonist by the time he allegedly sparked the Esperanza Fire.

  Defense attorneys say prosecutors overlooked another suspect who was linked to several arson fires in the same area during that time. There’s also no direct evidence that connects Oyler to the fires - although prosecutors say they can connect his DNA to devices used to set the Esperanza fire. They also have a witness who claims Oyler started the deadly fire as a diversion to break his dog out of a shelter.

  Oyler has pleaded not guilty. The Riverside County District Attorney’s office is seeking the death penalty. Opening statements in the trial could begin next week.

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  • January 16, 2009 4:39 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Final preparations underway for Presidential Inauguration

  Four days from Barack Obama’s inauguration, final preparations are underway at the U. S. Capitol. KPCC’s Brian Watt shares this snapshot from Washington, D.C.

  Brian Watt: On the Capitol’s West Terrace, carpenters build an all-lumber platform from scratch every four years – just for the inauguration. The platform’s ready to hold more than 1,600 dignitaries.

  What’s left are finishing touches - placing mats on the paths the VIPs will take to the stage, running cables for media crews, testing the sound system. Photographers - including Los Angeles-based Bruce Talamon - visit the platform a few days early to check out camera angles from their assigned spots. Talamon knows this event will follow a strict choreography, but…

  Bruce Talamon: The nice things are the, you know, some people would call them happy accidents, where some other interesting things happen that make a shot special and/or add to the normal pictures that you would get.

  Watt: Talamon is one of 10 photographers collaborating on a book about the inauguration.

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  • January 16, 2009 3:11 PM
  • Categories: History

• Business journalist: Circuit City ran out of time in tough economy

  Circuit City, the country’s second-largest consumer electronics store, announced today it’s closing its remaining locations in this country. After it filed for bankruptcy protection, the company had hoped a buyer would express interest. Ali McCannon of Business Week said it’s a little too late for that now.

  Ali McCannon: “They’ve, you know, run out of time, basically. And it shows too; the buyers are worried about the fact that expanding, especially in kind of the electronics realm, it’s just not a smart strategy at the moment, given how concerned and frugal the consumer has become, barely even spending, if at all.”

  McCannon spoke with KPCC’s “AirTalk.” Circuit City has until the end of March to sell all its merchandise. The closing of its 567 stores in the United States will affect 30,000 employees.

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  • January 16, 2009 1:41 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Funeral held for nine victims of Christmas Eve shootings

  Hundreds of people crowded into a Catholic church in San Dimas today to pay their last respects to nine members of the same family killed on Christmas Eve in Covina. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez was there.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Pastor Charles Ramirez of Immaculate Conception Church in Monrovia attended the San Dimas funeral mass because a few of the surviving family members belong to his parish.

  Pastor Charles Ramirez: The one moment in that mass that was very touching was when the eight-year-old little girl got up and read the prayer of the faithful and mentioned the names of those who had died. I mean, that was unbelievable; it was touching that this little girl who’d been met at the door by this man dressed like Santa Claus, and she was shot in the face. That she’s alive here today and able to participate in this celebration of life for her grandparents and her family members.

  Guzman-Lopez: Burial for the nine members of the Ortega, Ortiz, and Castillo families is at a Covina cemetery, a few miles from the house where a relative masquerading as Santa Claus killed them on Christmas Eve. Shortly after that attack, he apparently committed suicide.

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  • January 16, 2009 1:37 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Society/Culture

• Circuit City likely presages many more retail store closures

  Consumer electronics retailer Circuit City, which announced that it’ll close its remaining stores in the next couple of months, is only the latest casualty of the economic recession. Ali McCannon with Business Week says the International Council of Shopping Centers predicts a pretty bad year for mall-based stores.

  Ali McCannon: “They’re projecting 73,000 stores will shut their doors within the next six months. So you know, I think the outlook is pretty dire.”

  McCannon spoke with KPCC’s “AirTalk.” Macy’s, Mervyn’s, Rite Aid, Ann Taylor, and Office Depot have closed some or all of their stores after a dismal holiday shopping season.

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  • January 16, 2009 1:33 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Inauguration visitors face likely long walks in cold temperatures

  Preparations for next week’s presidential Inauguration in Washington D.C. will create challenges for District natives and out-of-town visitors. KPCC’s Brian Watt runs down some of the circumstances spectators will face.

  Brian Watt: “There are going to be two Metro stops that are closed that are normally open, and even the Metro system here has printed up a special pamphlet for people who are going to be using the Metro and the bus system to get around on Inauguration Day. And it actually suggests getting of the Metro to people who can, and walking from distances as far away as three miles. We’re talking about Virginia. The Rosslyn station stop.”

  Brian says this is taking place in freezing weather; today’s high temperature is 22 degrees. We’ll be hearing more from him and from other Southland visitors to the Inauguration in the days ahead.

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  • January 16, 2009 1:29 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Business journalist wonders how Circuit City will handle warranties after closing

  Circuit City, the country’s second-largest retailer of consumer electronics, announced today it’s closing its remaining stores. The decision follows a lackluster holiday shopping season and the company’s filing for bankruptcy protection.

  Circuit City has until the end of March to liquidate all its merchandise. It’s uncertain what that’ll mean for people who’ve bought merchandise there with warranties, Ali McCannon of Business Week told KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

  Ali McCannon: “It’s tough to believe, you know, when the stores are liquidated, and then employees are gone. Who would be the staff that will be able in a position to… you know, you think that when you have a warranty problem and you have to call up someone to deal with the issue. Who’s going to be there to do it whether it gets passed on to the specific vendors or suppliers?”

  The store closings leave more than 30,000 employees out of a job. Some Circuit City stores will begin liquidation sales as early as tomorrow.

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  • January 16, 2009 12:58 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Inauguration attendees arrive early, plan to stay late

  For more than a month, it’s been hard for out-of-towners who want to attend next week’s Inauguration to book flights to the Washington D.C. area. KPCC’s Brian Watt says that’s meant a lot of people arrived several days before the event and plan to stay some days beyond.

  Brian Watt: “The people who are coming early probably figured out that it was a little bit cheaper to show up five days before the Inauguration, four days before the Inauguration to get a cheaper flight, and maybe even stay some time after the Inauguration, because flying in two days before and leaving two days after was a very, very expensive proposition. So a lot of those people have just lined up serious tourism itineraries to keep themselves busy in between now and Inauguration Day.”

  Through Tuesday and beyond, we’ll bring you first-hand reports from Brian, KPCC’s Shirley Jahad, and other Southland travelers to the Inauguration in the nation’s capital.

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  • January 16, 2009 12:49 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Funeral held for nine victims of Christmas Eve shootings

  A funeral mass was held this morning for the nine people a relative killed at a house party on Christmas Eve. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez brought us this report from the church in San Dimas.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: Holy Name of Mary Catholic Church is filled to capacity with the victims’ relatives and friends. An overflow crowd of more than a hundred people is listening to the funeral mass under a tent outside the church.

  Irma Chavez and her stepfather Rudy Valdivia said they knew the family for four decades.

  Irma Chavez: We were always together, parties and everything, horseracing, Santa Anita. That was a big part of our lives, the track and gambling; it is a big part of the Ortegas and our lives. Rudy Valdivia: We’re going to miss them.

  Guzman-Lopez: The nine victims are to be laid to rest today at Forest Lawn cemetery in Covina.

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  • January 16, 2009 12:46 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Society/Culture

• Construction workers prepare Inauguration stage

  Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on the area where President-elect Barack Obama will take the oath of office next Tuesday. KPCC’s Brian Watt visited the Capitol Plaza in Washington, DC.

  Brian Watt: “There’s a lot of rope being put in place, carpets being laid; there are actually some photojournalists that are here in advance to sort of start figuring out their camera angles. There are at least 20 construction trailers on the south side of the capitol on the lawn, which has sort of been the base of operations for a whole team of people who put this kind of thing in place every four years.”

  Brian Watt also says that authorities are also beginning to tighten security around the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol building.

  Brian and Shirley Jahad will be on hand for President-elect Obama’s swearing-in and inaugural speech in the nation’s capital next Tuesday. You can listen to live coverage on KPCC.

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  • January 16, 2009 12:41 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Mayors from Orange County, Baja, California meet to discuss regional issues

  Mayors from Orange County and Baja, California met yesterday in Anaheim to touch base on issues that affect both sides of the border. KPCC’s Susan Valot says tourism and the economy are the major issues.

  Susan Valot: The idea behind the meeting is to work together to solve regional problems. For Mexico, it’s an image problem. Stories of increased drug-related violence have scared away tourists.

  Enrique Perez of the Rancho Santiago Community College District put the cross-border meeting together. He says tourism in Mexico plays a role in Orange County’s economy.

  Enrique Perez: When there’s a perception in Baja that you cannot travel there, that you can’t do business there, obviously the economy of Baja goes down. Well, here in Anaheim, we get a lot of tourism from Baja. We get a lot of shoppers at Main Place and at South Coast Plaza. When their economy goes down because we’re not traveling there, they’re not coming up.

  Valot: The mayors of four Baja cities, including Tijuana and Rosarito, say they’ve improved security in their cities. They’ve bumped up police pay so cops might be less inclined to take payoffs from criminals. And the mayors plan to bring their police for training at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department training facility.

  Mayors from both sides of the border hope to meet annually, just like the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

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  • January 16, 2009 12:32 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Police arrest man charged with shooting and killing four-year-old boy

  Los Angeles police have announced the arrest of Howard Astorga this morning. He’s accused of killing a 4-year-old boy.

  Roberto Lopez was shot and killed on Tuesday as he was walking to a community center in his neighborhood just south of Angelino Heights.

  L.A. City Councilman Ed Reyes spoke at the news conference.

  Councilman Ed Reyes: “The first night of the vigil that I approached the family, the father was still in such grief that he was wailing, yelling for his son. Screaming for his life. And asking, the mom was asking, ‘Just get the person who did this. Don’t let my son die in vain.’”

  Police say Astorga’s a recently-paroled gang member who has served prison time for firearms, narcotics, and other offenses. Police believe the shooter was aiming at someone in a nearby car, not at the four-year-old.

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  • January 16, 2009 12:21 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Jury acquits ex-OC sheriff Carona of all but 1 count

  By GILLIAN FLACCUS
  Associated Press Writer

  SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) — A jury in Southern California has convicted former Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona of one witness tampering count but acquitted him in the rest of a corruption case that accused him of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes.

  Carona, 53, was found not guilty Friday of one count of conspiracy, three counts of mail fraud and a second witness-tampering count.

  The three-term lawman once dubbed “America’s Sheriff” was indicted in October 2007 and left the nation’s fifth-largest sheriff’s department three months later.

  The government alleged that Carona accepted bribes that totaled more than $430,000 from a multimillionaire businessman.

  (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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  • January 16, 2009 12:10 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Governor's press secretary elaborates on proposed lawmaker pay freeze

  During his annual State of the State address, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested that the state suspend lawmakers’ pay until they work out a budget he can accept.

  His press secretary, Aaron McLear, told KPCC’s Patt Morrison that since other state employees and functions are facing cutbacks and furloughs, the legislature shouldn’t get paid either.

  Aaron McLear: “His point is simple: If we’re unable to get the job done for the people, to deliver a budget which is due on June 15th every year, then the leaders of this state should have some consequences, right? I mean, it’s the people who are suffering, the people who are getting their taxes increased and their programs cut. Well, the folks who are making that happen ought a have some consequences, and that’s the point he made today.”

  During a brief speech delivered without the usual ceremonial flourish, the governor compared a prospective $42 billion deficit with a rock upon the state’s chest that must be removed. Legislative leaders have said they’re making progress toward adopting a budget that’ll meet with the governor’s approval.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:59 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Republican Senator Tony Strickland on proposed pay freeze for legislators

  Governor Schwarzenegger’s suggestion that lawmakers go without pay until they work out a budget is prompting mixed responses in Sacramento. Democratic Assembly Speaker Karen Bass has said she doesn’t think that’ll be necessary because legislative leaders are close to a compromise.

  Republican State Senator Tony Strickland told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that something needs to spur lawmakers to get the job done.

  Senator Tony Strickland: “You know, we didn’t need to be here, but that’s old news. We’re leaders, and I think great leaders rise through the difficult times, when you look at our history of our state and our nation. So the governor is right, this does need to be the year of political courage. And there’s not a Democrat problem or a Republican problem; it’s a California problem. People would like for us to fix these problems, and we need move forward recognizing that no one’s going to everything that they want.”

  The projected $42 billion budget deficit was the only subject of the governor’s abbreviated State of the State address.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:54 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Schwarzenegger's press secretary discusses State of the State address

  This year’s State of the State address was one of the shortest anyone can remember; a scant dozen minutes in which Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger outlined California’s lingering budget problems. His press secretary, Aaron McLear, spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  Aaron McLear: “We’re in difficult times right now, and I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to be talking about all these bold visions and all these bold proposals that he had. And as you know, this is a guy with just boundless ambition, so for him to temper that in a State of State speech is difficult. But we have a $42 billion deficit, and really it doesn’t make any sense for leaders of the state to do anything until we get our fiscal house in order.”

  In his speech, the governor suggested that state lawmakers take a pay cut until they can work out a budget he’s willing to sign. Legislative leaders contend the move won’t be necessary, because they’re making progress toward that goal.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:50 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Witness describes relatively controlled crash of jet into Hudson River

  All 155 passengers and crew are safe after a US Air flight from New York’s LaGuardia Airport made an emergency landing in the Hudson River, just minutes into its trip to Charlotte, North Carolina.

  The incident unfolded in full view of William Duckworth, who lives near the river in New Jersey. He described what he’d seen to KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  William Duckworth: “The plane seemed to be under a certain kind of control, though, because as he crashed, it looked like a landing at an airport. The nose was up and the tail was down, so it went into the water tail first. And, as it went into the water, it spun around about 90 degrees, so that it was now pointing towards New York City.”

  The Airbus A-380 floated in the river as ferries, tugboats, and helicopters arrived to rescue the people on board. Investigators are looking into what caused the forced landing of US Air Flight 1549.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:47 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Legislative leaders praise governor's tone, priorities in State of the State address

  Leaders in the state Senate and the Assembly say Governor Schwarzenegger’s brief State of the State address hit the right tone. Usually the speeches are about the governor’s policy goals. Assembly Republican Leader Mike Villines says that, given the current circumstances, it was good that Schwarzenegger honed in on the budget.

  Assemblyman Mike Villines: “I think he’s totally right. I think this is a historic time; there’s really no other thing for us to focus on, for any of us, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green, whatever you are. And it’s gotta be done so we can turn around and say, ‘What can we do?’ optimistically.”

  Senate Democratic Leader Darrell Steinberg says he agreed with the Governor’s statements about current, meaningful budget negotiations.

  Senator Darrell Steinberg: “The governor, I think, sought to reassure Californians and we want to reassure Californians that we’re going to solve this problem, and the fact of the matter is we’re downstairs every day making significant progress…”

  Legislative leaders largely agree that the tone of budget meetings with the governor is improving. Democrats have said there could be a budget deal by the end of the month. They’re working to solve a $40 billion plus budget deficit before the state runs out of cash.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:43 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Immigration authorities charge alleged captors after rescuing abused men in Lancaster drop house

  Federal immigration authorities have charged two men with smuggling in connection with an alleged drop house in Lancaster. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says agents rescued two Central Americans from the house earlier this week.

  Cheryl Devall: Late last week, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement fielded a tip that something strange was going on at a house on Martha Court in Lancaster. Agents heard that smugglers were detaining and abusing a man in the hope they’d collect $5,000 for bringing him to the United States.

  On Tuesday night, the agents freed a Salvadoran and an Ecuadoran from the house, after hearing cries for help from inside. The story the men told was pretty harsh. One of the hostages said the smugglers assaulted him with stun guns and deprived him of food for almost two weeks. He added that other people held at the house shared food with him.

  Agents have placed the rescued men in protective custody, and they’re continuing to investigate the incident. The alleged captors, from Mexico and Guatemala, could face up to 10 years in federal prison if a jury convicts them on charges they illegally harbored foreign nationals.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:37 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Witness describes watching airbus crash into Hudson River

  It was a potential disaster with a remarkable ending. All 155 passengers and crew aboard a US Air flight from New York City to Charlotte are safe after the jet dropped into the Hudson River. William Duckworth saw the Airbus A-320 go down from his home.

  William Duckworth: “Oh, it was so unreal, it was like watching a movie. And when it was all taking place, we were inside and so there was absolutely no sound at all, but we immediately went outside and tried to see what was happening.”

  Duckworth spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” from his home in West New York, New Jersey. Tugboats and ferries rushed to the scene and collected people waiting on the aircraft wings, emergency slides, and in rafts. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:32 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Lawmakers react to Schwarzenegger's State of the State address

  Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are cool to Governor Schwarzenegger’s suggestion that they forfeit pay if they don’t pass a budget on time. He presented the idea in his State of the State address today.

  Democratic Assembly Speaker Karen Bass says she could have done without that part of his speech.

  Assemblywoman Karen Bass: “His suggestion about us forfeiting pay – I kind of joked and said maybe he would be willing to share his royalties. But I don’t believe it’s going to come to that, so I don’t believe it will be necessary.”

  Senate Republican Leader Dave Cogdill says cutting pay as punishment won’t necessarily produce a better budget.

  Senator Dave Cogdill: “To just get out a budget on time doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. I think we were sent here to do our best to make sure the budgets we approve are the right budgets for the state of California as we see it…”

  Democratic and Republican leaders have been meeting with the governor every day this week on budget negotiations. They need to remedy a $40 billion plus shortfall.

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  • January 15, 2009 6:28 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• San Bernardino County assessor arrested for drug possession

  Authorities arrested San Bernardino county assessor Bill Postmus this morning on drug charges. Postmus has been at the center of an ongoing fraud and corruption investigation. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas has more on the arrest.

  Steven Cuevas: Investigators discovered the drugs during a search of the Postmus home in Rancho Cucamonga. The 37-year-old assessor was arrested and booked on drug possession charges. Susan Mickey is with the San Bernardino County district attorney.

  Susan Mickey: I cannot tell you what they were looking for, but I can tell you that during the service of the search warrant illegal drug paraphernalia was found.
  Cuevas: And actual drugs, methamphetamine?
  Mickey: Correct.

  Cuevas: Investigators seized a computer hard drive and other items from the assessor’s office in San Bernardino. They also served search warrants at locations in two counties.

  Mickey: There were six locations: Highland, San Bernardino, Apple Valley, Victorville, Rancho Cucamonga, and Rancho Santa Margarita.

  Cuevas: Bill Postmus has been under investigation since a grand jury last year said he misused his office for political activity. Last week, Postmus acknowledged a prior battle with drugs - but said he was clean and sober. Postmus is scheduled for arraignment next week.

  Tools

  • January 15, 2009 3:32 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• USC professor praises Attorney General-designate Holder

  Before she joined the law faculty at USC, Heidi Rummel worked in the U.S. Justice Department with Attorney General-designate Eric Holder. Rummel told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that she trusts Holder’s integrity.

  Heidi Rummel: “The thing he said to us when he swore us all in was, ‘No matter what, do the right thing, and if you’re put into a position where you can’t do the right thing, come see me, you know, as the head of the whole office.’

  “And he meant it, and I saw him do that in certain cases. And I think that’s more of the kind of person he is, and I think that’s a very important quality, and something we need, in someone who’s going to change the direction, hopefully, of the Justice Department.”

  Rummel heads USC Law School’s Post-Conviction Justice Project. Eric Holder - a former Justice Department official in the Clinton administration – faced the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation hearing today.

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  • January 15, 2009 3:04 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• $400 million in community college bond-funded contracts approved

  The Southland economy’s set to get a small construction boost. Los Angeles Community College administrators are green lighting $400 million in bond-funded contracts. KPCC’s Adolfo Guzman-Lopez has more.

  Adolfo Guzman-Lopez: These contracts account for about one-tenth of the 3-and-a-half billion dollars in bonds voters approved in November to improve L.A. community colleges.

  The contracts will go toward construction of an $80 million health center at West L.A. College, new classrooms, labs, and parking lots at Mission College in Sylmar, and a $28 million parking structure at Harbor College in Wilmington.

  Economists and labor leaders praised the L.A. Community College administration’s swift action to approve construction and design projects. College administrators say these contracts will create more than 6,000 new jobs in the next few years.

  In the last several years voters within L.A. Community College boundaries have approved almost $6 billion in bonds to build and improve facilities.

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  • January 15, 2009 2:45 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education

• Schwarzenegger delivers short state of state due to budget crisis

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today delivered one of the shortest “State of the State” addresses in California history. In a message that lasted about 15 minutes, the governor told lawmakers at the state capitol that he was skipping the usual litany of accomplishments and goals.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “It doesn’t make any sense for me to talk here today and stand in front of you and talk about education or infrastructure, or water or health care reform and all those things when we have this huge budget deficit. I’ll talk about my vision for all those things and much more as soon as we get the budget done.”

  The governor says the biggest obstacle to that is stubbornness by Democrats and Republicans.

  Schwarzenegger: “Ours has become a system where rigid ideology has been rewarded, and pragmatic compromise has been punished. And where has this led us? I think that you would agree that in recent years, California’s legislature has been engaged sometimes in civil war.”

  State Controller John Chiang commended the governor for recognizing that solving the budget crisis will take “courage and collaboration.” The controller has warned lawmakers repeatedly that the state government could face a cash shortage next month.

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  • January 15, 2009 1:50 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• US Airways plane to NC crashes into Hudson River

  NEW YORK (AP) — A US Airways plane crashed into the frigid Hudson River on Thursday afternoon after striking a bird that disabled two engines, sending 150 on board scrambling onto rescue boats, authorities say. No deaths or serious injuries were immediately reported.

  Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown says the US Airways Flight 1549 had just taken off from LaGuardia Airport enroute to Charlotte, N.C., when the crash occurred in the river near 48th Street in midtown Manhattan.

  Brown says the plane, an Airbus 320, appears to have hit one or more birds.

  A law enforcement official said that authorities are not aware of any deaths and that the passengers do not appear to be seriously injured. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rescue was still under way.

  The plane was submerged in the icy waters up to the windows. Rescue crews had opened the door and were pulling passengers in yellow life vests from the plane. Several boats surrounded the plane, which appeared to be slowly sinking.

  Government officials do not believe the crash is related to terrorism.

  “There is no information at this time to indicate that this is a security-related incident,” Homeland Security spokeswoman Laura Keehner said. “We continue to closely monitor the situation which at present is focused on search and rescue.”

  Witnesses said the plane’s pilot appeared to guide the plane down.

  “I see a commercial airliner coming down, looking like it’s landing right in the water,” said Bob Read, who saw it from his office at the television newsmagazine “Inside Edition.”

  “This looked like a controlled descent.”

  New York City firefighters and the U.S. Coast Guard are responding to the crash.

  “I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water,” said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson. “All the boats have sort of circled the area.”

  ---

  Associated Press Writer Eileen Sullivan in Washington contributed to this report.

  (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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  • January 15, 2009 1:42 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Environmental agency chief responds to State of the State address

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says California cannot address other policy issues until lawmakers come up with a budget he can sign.

  The chief of the California Resources Agency, Mike Chrisman, says that means the state has no money for local environmental initiatives.

  Mike Chrisman: “All of our grant programs, recent general obligation bond programs that funnel dollars for local projects, parks projects, wildlife mitigation projects, and others. All those expenditures have been put on hold as a result of the state budget crisis.”

  Chrisman says his agency and others will close on the first and third Fridays each month until the governor and legislators agree on a plan to pay for state salaries and programs.

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  • January 15, 2009 12:37 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Schwarzenegger delivers brief, blunt State of State address

  Governor Schwarzenegger compared California’s massive budget deficit to a “rock upon our chest.” He also said the state wouldn’t be able to focus on other important issues until it solves the budget problem.

  The governor made the comments this morning during a very short State of the State address. Schwarzenegger told lawmakers that in order to solve the state’s fiscal crisis, they would need to sacrifice.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “Of course no one wants to take money from our gang fighting programs, or from MediCal, or from education. Of course not. No one wants to pay more taxes or fees. But each of us has to give up something, because our country in an economic crisis, and our state simply doesn’t have the money.”

  He warned lawmakers that the state faces insolvency within weeks if they fail to close the widening deficit. It’s estimated at $40 billion over the next year-and-a-half.

  The budget crisis prompted changes from State of the State tradition. This year’s speech was only 12 minutes long, and the governor delivered it at 10 in the morning. He usually makes the address in the evening.

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  • January 15, 2009 12:33 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Rialto couple arrives in cold DC for Inauguration

  The crowd expected at next Tuesday’s Obama Inauguration could top four million people. Some from the Southland have started heading to Washington, DC already, including KPCC’s Brian Watt.

  Brian Watt: It was 27 degrees and snowing when my red-eye flight landed at Washington’s Dulles Airport. At baggage claim, I met the Dickersons, a married couple from Rialto where they work as realtors. Durnee Dickerson said they have a full itinerary to fill the five days until Barack Obama’s Inauguration.

  Durnee Dickerson: We’re gonna drive out to a little town called Bucktown, which was Harriet Tubman’s birthplace, and we’re actually gonna do a two-mile hike on the underground railroad.

  Watt: But their most important stop before Inauguration Day is at the office of L.A. Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Yolanda Clark Dickerson says they’ll pick up tickets to the swearing-in ceremony.

  Yolanda Clark Dickerson: I received a letter saying that out of 10,000 people, there were 198, and I was one of the few to get two.

  Watt: A journey that starts on the Underground Railroad continues on Pennsylvania Avenue.

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  • January 15, 2009 10:51 AM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Society/Culture

• Fire consumes steel business in Santa Ana

  Firefighters have knocked down a fire that consumed a steel fabrication business this afternoon in Santa Ana. KPCC’s Susan Valot was at the fire soon after it started.

  Susan Valot: Smoke billowed up from Adams Iron Company as flames shot through the roof. You could see the smoke from Interstate 5. The business that makes steel for commercial uses is about a block from the Santa Ana train station, right next to a brand new loft complex.

  Santa Ana Fire Captain Chris Caswell says firefighters were worried the flames could spread, but they couldn’t go inside to fight them.

  Captain Chris Caswell: When we arrived, we had oxygen tanks and other, probably welding, tanks exploding. We took a defensive position at this time. All of our units were fighting the fire from the exterior.

  Valot: And they used ladder trucks, too. In all, fire officials brought in more than a half dozen engines and trucks to douse the flames.

  Adams Iron Company has been around for more than three decades. Firefighters say the building’s a total loss.

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  • January 14, 2009 5:54 PM

• Motion Picture and Television Fund long-term care facility closing

  The medical branch of a retirement facility that’s served performing artists for 60 years is closing by the end of this year. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall has more on today’s announcement by the board of the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

  Cheryl Devall: The high cost of health care has caught up with the medical direct-care services the Motion Picture and Television Fund established in 1948. A statement from its operators says the Woodland Hills long-term medical care facility and acute-care hospital run an operating deficit of about $10 million a year.

  At that rate, the organization’s board says it would run out of reserve money within five years. So the board plans to get out of the direct long-term care business and to concentrate resources on the fund’s six outpatient health centers and other services.

  The changes will not affect the operation of the fund’s retirement and assisted-living homes in Woodland Hills. But they will eliminate about 290 jobs in the medical facilities.

  The organization’s board said that in recent years, the acute-care hospital has rarely cared for more than 10 patients at a time. The fund plans to transfer any remaining patients to nearby hospitals later this year.

  Link: Motion Picture and Television Fund

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  • January 14, 2009 4:57 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy, Health

• Obama transition team consults with scientists about ocean policy

  Two of President-elect Obama’s nominees for top environmental posts testified in Washington to a Senate committee today. Nearby in Maryland, scientists met to discuss what the next administration might do about ocean policy. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports.

  Molly Peterson: Barack Obama’s transition team has been consulting with what some call a green team of environmental and energy scholars. Some of them also study the deep blue. A federal initiative gathered about 60 people from around the country, including Linwood Pendleton of the Coastal Ocean Values Center. He says a proposed economic stimulus plan could influence ocean policy.

  Linwood Pendleton: “Recognition now about the importance of oceans that way fits really well into Obama’s plans for investing in infrastructure and thinking about jobs. So it’s not just the ocean as gosh, isn’t that a fascinating place. This is the ocean: half the nation’s GDP originates from these counties.”

  Peterson: Pendleton says participants in the federal ocean initiative will offer more formal advice to President Obama later this spring.

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  • January 14, 2009 4:36 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Congresswoman Harman would welcome Guantanamo closing

  President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to sign an executive order that would close the U.S.-run detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Southland Congresswoman Jane Harman told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that she’d welcome the gesture.

  Jane Harman: “Clearly, what we want is again, for our values to play out in the way that we detain people and interrogate people. I have never been persuaded – and guess what, my authority on this is Senator John McCain in the United States Senate – that torture works. Torture elicits whatever the person can say to avoid being tortured any more.”

  The Bush administration today reiterated its position that it does not torture. The judge who supervises the military detainee trials at Guantanamo asserted to the Washington Post that torture has occurred there.

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  • January 14, 2009 3:39 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• House passes twice vetoed children's health insurance bill

  The U.S. House of Representatives has voted overwhelmingly to expand the State Children’s Health Insurance Program for four years. President George W. Bush had vetoed similar legislation twice. After today’s vote, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California took the president to task for that.

  Nancy Pelosi: “President Bush said that we could not afford this legislation – that we could not afford to insure American’s children. Forty days in Iraq equals over 10 million children in America insured for one year. We certainly can afford to do that. We look forward to bringing this legislation to President Obama’s desk as one of the first bills that he will sign.”

  The bill passed 289 to 139. It will pay the $32 billion cost of extending the insurance program by boosting federal cigarette taxes to one dollar a pack.

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  • January 14, 2009 3:21 PM
  • Categories: Health, Politics/Public Affairs

• Congresswoman says Obama should close Guantanamo soon

  One of the most pressing foreign policy matters facing the incoming president is how soon to act on his campaign promise to close the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

  Congresswoman Jane Harman – chair of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence - says that should happen very early in the Obama administration.

  Jane Harman: “It is not too hard to close Guantanamo. I would argue that it is essential if we are going to stop the erosion of our moral authority and standing abroad and, and stop giving a huge recruiting tool to al-Qaida.”

  Harman, whose district includes Venice, El Segundo, and Wilmington, spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Earlier this week, President George Bush told reporters that he does not believe the United States’ moral standing among nations suffered during his eight years in office.

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  • January 14, 2009 2:10 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Sex Offender board chair argues for changes to Jessica's Law

  A state panel reports a spike in the number of homeless sex offenders since voters approved Jessica’s law two years ago. A provision in the law says that sex offenders can’t live within 2,000 feet of places where children gather, such as schools or parks.

  A report by the Sex Offender Management Board is urging changes to those restrictions. The board’s chairwoman, Suzanne Brown McBride, spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle.

  Suzanne Brown McBride: “Part of what the management board is interested in trying to do and our recommendation to the legislature is to not just figure out where you don’t want offenders to live – that’s pretty easy to do and we can come up with a big list - but it should be specific to the kind of offense.”

  The report says there’s no evidence the tough restrictions have increased public safety, and argues that the rules could push offenders back into criminal behavior if they end up homeless.

  State Senator George Runner of Lancaster – an author of Jessica’s Law – says he doesn’t think the corrections department is doing all it can to find housing for the offenders.

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  • January 14, 2009 1:50 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Clean Air Project director criticizes Bush environmental policy

  In the waning days of the Bush administration, the president’s defenders and critics are surveying its high and low points. John Walke, director of the Clean Air Project at the Natural Resources Defense Council, finds it hard to absolve the White House position on global warming.

  John Walke: “President Bush spent eight years fiddling while the planet burned. Not only taking no action to combat global warming but watching global warming pollution rise steadily, repudiating international treaties that lowered our standing in the world.

  “And allowing the auto industry and power plant industry to continue to pollute without taking anything other than voluntary actions that just did not work.

  Walke spoke on KPCC’s “AirTalk.” The Bush administration has promoted a gradual approach to climate change, saying that mandatory restrictions on industrial emissions would harm the nation’s economy.

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  • January 14, 2009 1:36 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Jessica's Law increases number of homeless sex offenders

  A state panel is urging changes to Jessica’s Law - the voter-approved law that restricts where paroled sex offenders can live in California. A report by the Sex Offender Management Board says those restrictions have greatly increased the number of homeless sex offenders.

  Republican state senator George Runner of Lancaster was an author of Jessica’s Law. He says the corrections department isn’t trying hard enough to find housing for those offenders.

  George Runner: “We don’t fully believe that corrections at this point is doing all they need to be doing in order to direct people to housing. We think at times they just find it easier just to go ahead and register them as transient.”

  Runner spoke with KPCC’s Larry Mantle.

  The report by a branch of the state corrections department also said there’s no evidence that the residency restrictions enhance public safety.

  The law bars registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks, and other areas where children gather.

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  • January 14, 2009 1:32 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Jurors continue deliberations in OC sheriff corruption trial

  The jurors in the federal corruption trial of former Orange County sheriff Mike Carona are back at the deliberation table. KPCC’s Susan Valot reports.

  Susan Valot: This is the fourth day of deliberations. The jury got the case Thursday afternoon. They’re sifting through more than 50 pages of juror instructions and two month’s of testimony and evidence about whether Carona accepted thousands of dollars in bribes.

  So far, the jury’s been pretty quiet. On Friday, they sent a couple of notes out to the judge. One of the notes asked if they could have a list of exhibits with titles. Another asked for a list of alleged “overt” acts after October 25, 2002.

  Prosecutors need to prove criminal activity took place after that date or they’ll miss the statute of limitations. The jury hasn’t sent out any more notes since Friday. They had Monday off.

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  • January 14, 2009 12:25 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Gottschalks files for bankruptcy

  The Commerce Department says retail sales were off 2.7 percent in December. That’s more than double what analysts had expected. KPCC’s Susan Valot says that tough December has claimed another California retailer.

  Susan Valot: Fresno-based Gottschalks filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. That means it can stay open while it reorganizes.

  As part of the bankruptcy, the regional department store chain negotiated a $125 million financing package from a group of lenders – and it put itself up for sale. The bankruptcy court still has to approve the deal.

  Gottschalks has several dozen stores in the West, including 38 in California, its largest market. The closest stores to the Los Angeles market are in Riverside, San Bernardino, Redlands, and Palmdale. The company did not announce any store closings as part of its reorganization.

  Several chains have blazed this trail already. KB Toys and Circuit City declared bankruptcy recently. Mervyns closed its doors after Christmas.

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  • January 14, 2009 12:15 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Obama science meetings focus on oceans, economy

  President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team has been consulting with scientists about U.S. ocean policy this week. Linwood Pendleton of the Coastal Ocean Values Center is one of several Californians attending a meeting in Annapolis, Maryland this week. He says some of the discussion there has focused on the role oceans play in the country’s economy.

  Linwood Pendleton: “The ocean is this infrastructure that links so much of what’s going on in all parts of the country, whether it’s pollutants that run down the Mississippi from way up into the heartland, or overbuilding on the coast, or overfishing on the Outer Continental Shelf.”

  Leaders of a federal ocean initiative plan to make recommendations to the next president based on the meeting – and on recent science.

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  • January 14, 2009 12:12 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs, Science/Technology

• 4th quarter earnings prospects don't look good

  Companies are getting ready to release their fourth-quarter earnings during the next few weeks. KPCC business analyst Mark Lacter says the prospects don’t look good.

  Mark Lacter: “Alcoa reported a huge loss in the fourth quarter, which tells you something about the state of manufacturing, and we’re about to see J.P. Morgan, Citigroup, and the other big banks report their numbers - and they will not be good.”

  Lacter says some Southland banks that are solid in normal times are also struggling. They include the Asian-American banks East-West bank and Nara Bancorp. Problems with commercial lending have hurt their profits.

  Lacter says more office building and shopping mall owners are likely to default on their loans as their tenants go under.

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  • January 14, 2009 11:32 AM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• LA public school teachers may face layoffs

  Public school teachers in Los Angeles may face layoffs. The board of education yesterday gave the district superintendent permission to lay off nearly 2,300 instructors. KPCC’s Steve Julian has more.

  Steve Julian: This year’s L.A. public school budget is more than $400 million leaner than last year’s, but cuts at the state level could force an additional quarter-billion dollar loss in funding. Laying off probationary teachers and other employees could save the district more than $137 million.

  But AJ Duffy, the head of the teacher’s union, urged the school board to not take money from teachers, or out of classrooms. Superintendent Ramon Cortines said he hopes the threat of layoffs will put pressure on California lawmakers to help districts across the state.

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  • January 14, 2009 10:51 AM
  • Categories: Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Number of film/TV production days in LA hit a 15-year low

  Feature film location shooting hit a 15-year low in Los Angeles County, the agency that tracks those trends has revealed. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says the dragging economy and Hollywood labor politics share the blame.

  Cheryl Devall: FilmL.A. handles permits for all location shooting in the city of Los Angeles and unincorporated L.A. County. That activity took a dive last year, especially during the last three months.

  Movie shoots on location dropped a little more than eight percent during the last quarter, compared with the same spell in 2007. The 100-day Writers Guild strike caused movie producers to wrap up many projects early last year.

  Location shooting for TV commercial slumped, too. FilmL.A. officials say that’s because the weakening economy led advertisers to spend less money.

  Beyond these trends, the agency predicts something worse: that producers aren’t willing to shoot their big-budget projects in and around Los Angeles any more. The FilmL.A. report concludes that locally-produced reality TV shows, with smaller staffs and budgets, have replaced feature films as the engine that drives the region’s entertainment industry.

  LINK: FilmL.A., Inc.

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  • January 13, 2009 6:29 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Career counselor offers advice for job seekers

  Times are tough for all kinds of job seekers, even those with college degrees. Don Asher, a career counselor who calls himself “America’s Job Search Guru,” said that despite the odds, some of the oldest methods still work.

  Don Asher: “Walk-in still works, because there you are; they can see you, they can see if you dress well, they can see if you drool, they can see if you curse while you talk. So it’s an advantage that you have.”

  Asher told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that it helps to expand your job search beyond what’s posted, and to focus on the kind of work that suits you best, regardless of what the online job listings say.

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  • January 13, 2009 6:25 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Society/Culture

• Women serve as chair, vice-chair of OC Board for first time

  The Orange County Board of Supervisors made a little history today. KPCC’s Nick Roman says you might not have noticed it unless you’d been observing Orange County politics for many years.

  Nick Roman: The chair of the Orange County Board of Supervisors is mostly a traffic cop. You hold the gavel. You run the meetings. Among five equals, you’re a little more equal. The vice-chair one year typically gets to be the chair the next - and that’s how it worked this time.

  The outgoing chair - Supervisor John Moorlach - handed the gavel to vice-chair Patricia Bates. Moorlach then nominated Supervisor Bill Campbell to take over as vice-chair. But Campbell declined. He’s chaired the Board of Supervisors before - and he said each supervisor should get an opportunity to do it.

  So as vice-chair, he nominated Janet Nguyen, the board’s youngest member - and the first Vietnamese-American county supervisor in the nation. The other board members agreed - and they chose Nguyen.

  Women have served on the Orange County Board of Supervisors for only 30 years. This is the first time they’ve served together as the chair and the vice-chair.

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  • January 13, 2009 4:52 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• College graduates face poor job prospects

  The economy’s dealing everyone a bad hand - including people who’d thought their college degrees would offer a life raft. UC Irvine labor economist David Neumark said that in this recession, the burden of unemployment is falling more heavily than usual on college graduates.

  David Neumark: “If you think about the industries that have been affected, we’ve all been hearing about them, particular in finance. Those are high education fields.

  “I guess it’s not surprising – at least to me at any rate – that those with higher education and more professional rated jobs are feeling more of the burden than they might have in a past downturn, let’s say, that was focused primarily on manufacturing.”

  Neumark spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” The unemployment rate for college grads is headed toward 4 percent, the worst in a quarter-century. Almost 11 percent of people who hold only high school diplomas are unemployed.

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  • January 13, 2009 4:45 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Police look for more information on nursing home rapist

  Prosecutors have filed sexual battery charges against a Cypress man who worked at an Orange County nursing home. And authorities think there may be more victims. KPCC’s Susan Valot reports.

  Susan Valot: Prosecutors say some time between April and July of last year, nursing assistant Alejandro Arias sexually assaulted two women in his care at Anaheim Terrace Care Center. Investigators say the 60- and 84-year-old women were on medications and were too weak to fend him off.

  Prosecutors say Arias went into their rooms and pretended to be doing legitimate medical duties when the attacks happened. Authorities are concerned there may be more victims. They say Arias spent a couple of years at the rehab nursing home in Anaheim. And they say he worked at another facility before that, but they don’t know which one.

  If you have any information, you’re asked to call the Anaheim Police Department or the Orange County District Attorney. Arias is in custody. A judge set his bail at $100,000. If convicted, he could face more than 12 years in prison.

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  • January 13, 2009 4:40 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• OC supervisors approve work furlough policy

  Orange County supervisors today cleared the way for social services workers to take work furloughs. KPCC’s Susan Valot says the board unanimously approved a new work furlough policy.

  Susan Valot: The new policy allows for Orange County agencies to require workers to take unpaid time off - up to one day off per two-week period. The policy goes into effect at the end of this month.

  It clears the way for the county’s Social Services Agency to force thousands of its workers to take two unpaid weeks off this year to save money. The Social Services Agency is the same one that just sent out pink slips to 210 employees.

  Social services workers say the move leaves children vulnerable. They say the county ought to be looking at trimming executive perks or dipping into reserves instead of layoffs and furloughs.

  County Executive Officer Tom Mauk says the county can’t dip into its reserves, except for emergencies, “or else we’ll be back to 1994.” That’s the year the county declared bankruptcy - a bankruptcy it’s still paying off.

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  • January 13, 2009 4:32 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• $5 million judgment issued against Fifth and Hill gang

  A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has issued a first-of-its-kind judgment against a gang in L.A. County. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports it targets a downtown gang long involved in the heroin trade.

  Frank Stoltze: For years, LAPD Officer Eddie Alvarez watched the Fifth and Hill gang deal heroin.

  Officer Eddie Alvarez: You had people coming from all over the county because they knew that the best source and most available source for heroin was here in downtown Los Angeles.

  Stoltze: Alvarez says police have successfully shut down a lot of the trade in Pershing Square and elsewhere. City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo says a new court order allows him to go after up to $5 million of gang members’ assets - bank accounts, cars, homes - even if they were legally obtained. Delgadillo conceded that those assets might not be easy to track down.

  City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo: It may take some time, but we are going to be relentless. We get 10 years to collect it and we can renew it after that.

  Stoltze: Prosecutors say the order is helpful because Fifth and Hill gang leaders evaded arrest by using homeless people and immigrants to peddle the heroin. Delgadillo said he hopes to win a similar court order against members of the 18th Street Gang.

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  • January 13, 2009 4:09 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Court issues $5 million judgment against downtown gang

  A Los Angeles Superior Court judge has issued an injunction against a downtown street gang involved in the sale of heroin.

  City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo says the court also issued a first of its kind $5 million judgment against the Fifth and Hill gang.

  City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo: “This is a judgment. They’ve caused damage to our neighborhoods. A court has now said that judgment is worth $5 million.

  “We can now go after that amount with whatever asset they have including their bank accounts, their homes, their cars, even if they obtained those in a legal manner.”

  The injunction covers much of downtown L.A. It also bars gang members from congregating on some streets. Police say it gives them another tool to stop suspected gang members. Civil libertarians have expressed concerns that such injunctions lead to racial and ethnic profiling and can push crime into adjacent neighborhoods.

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  • January 13, 2009 3:46 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Assembly cuts its budget by 10%

  Assembly Speaker Karen Bass says the Legislature’s lower house will “share the pain” of the state’s fiscal crisis. The L.A. Democrat is cutting the Assembly’s own budget by 10 percent.

  Karen Bass: “What that means in some instances is vacancies, people will not be re-hired, we won’t do expansions, etcetera. But we’re going through the fine details of that now too, but our commitment is a 10 percent reduction in our own expenses.”

  The cuts will yield about $15 million. The money will be re-directed to fire protection, higher education, and other state programs. Bass and Democratic Senate Leader Steinberg spoke briefly to reporters during a break from budget negotiations with Governor Schwarzenegger and Republican legislative leaders.

  Steinberg says the Senate has already reduced its administrative budget – but he’ll look for ways to cut more spending, including a volunteer furlough program for Senate staff.

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  • January 13, 2009 2:31 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Weekly Standard editor regrets Bush handling of surplus

  A week before President George W. Bush leaves the White House, political observers are weighing the high and low points of his eight-year administration. Matthew Continetti – associate editor of the conservative Weekly Standard – said he regrets the president didn’t take advantage of the surplus he inherited when he took office.

  Matthew Continetti: “We don’t have much leeway with these deficits because spending was never controlled during prosperous times. And I think you could even say that some of the tax cuts, the first round of tax cuts in particular in 2001, because they lowered revenues, you know, that was at a time of prosperity when I think the most effective, in fact, the Keynesian way of looking at the economy says that the tax cuts are most effective when there’s a downturn.”

  Continetti told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that the Bush economic legacy creates problems for the incoming Obama administration. He said it’ll have to figure out how to raise revenue and tamp down budget deficits amid a recession.

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  • January 13, 2009 2:28 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• California Republican Party official says Bush distorted party principles

  As cabinet nominees for the Obama administration line up for their confirmation hearings, observers of the Bush administration are reviewing its successes and shortcomings.

  John Fleischman is a Southland-based official with the California Republican Party. He pointed to the education-focused No Child Left Behind law as an example of how, in his opinion, President Bush distorted his party’s principles.

  John Fleischman: “That’s a classic example of how George Bush embraced federal preemption, and taking to the federal level the kind of oversight that should exist at the local level. So I would actually argue that the No Child Left Behind was a horrible legacy to leave us.

  “Because we want to lower federal taxes, lower federal spending, and move responsibility for the creation of standards and the creation of programs to the 50 states and not to the federal government.”

  Fleischman told KPCC’s “AirTalk” that a true Republican would have concentrated on reducing the size of the federal government and returning more authority to citizens.

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  • January 13, 2009 2:13 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Billboard moratorium introduced in Assembly

  A Southland assemblyman wants to freeze construction on new electronic billboards through the year 2012. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says critics of the signs contend they distract drivers too much.

  Cheryl Devall: A billboard moratorium would allow time for more thorough research on perceived hazards, said Assemblyman Mike Feuer. He’s introduced a bill in Sacramento that would outlaw new electronic billboards - and the conversion of existing billboards to digital displays - for at least three years.

  Various nonprofit and government studies are trying to determine whether the bright, ever-changing signs jeopardize traffic safety. In his district that includes West Los Angeles and West Hollywood, the digital billboards and oversized ads that wrap the sides of buildings have sparked controversy.

  Advertising companies say a media-saturated landscape forces them to compete harder than ever for attention. They’ve challenged similar local billboard restrictions on First Amendment free speech grounds.

  Last week a federal appeals court ruled against that argument and upheld the City of Los Angeles’ limit on outdoor advertising - including a three-month moratorium on new billboards.

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  • January 13, 2009 1:49 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Costume Designers Guild announces awards nominees

  Another January day in Hollywood, another list of nominations for entertainment industry awards. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says this one’s all about the clothes.

  Cheryl Devall: For 11 years, the Costume Designers Guild has honored the people who design for and outfit the casts of movies and TV shows. The guild lists separate categories for contemporary, period, and fantasy projects.

  Nominees include the movies “The Dark Knight,” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian” in the fantasy category; “Iron Man,” “Sex and the City,” and “Slumdog Millionaire” among contemporary movies; and “Revolutionary Road,” “The Duchess,” and “Milk” for period pieces.

  The costumers also nominated TV shows “Mad Men,” “John Adams,” “The Tudors,” “Gossip Girl,” and “Dancing with the Stars.” There’s even a category for excellence in TV commercial costume design. The guild presents its awards at a February 17th ceremony in Beverly Hills.

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  • January 13, 2009 11:54 AM
  • Categories: Arts

• LA Times raises newsstand price by twenty-five cents

  It’s costing a quarter more to buy the Los Angeles Times. The paper raised newsstand prices from $.50 to $.75 today amid declining advertising revenues. A spokeswoman for the company says it’s still a good deal, and she notes that other area papers like the Orange County Registrar charge as much.

  USC Annenberg journalism professor Bryce Nelson begs to differ.

  Bryce Nelson: “I think that this will drive away readers even more. And in an era when they’re shrinking the product and offering less services, I think that a lot of readers are going to resist paying more for a newspaper that they perceive as offering less than it did a couple of years ago.”

  The price for the Times’ Sunday edition remains $1.50.

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  • January 12, 2009 6:09 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Christine Todd Whitman critiques President Bush's priorities

  On the day of George W. Bush’s last formal press conference as president, his former Environmental Protection Agency chief reviewed the administration’s record. Christine Todd Whitman told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that she’d hoped the president would have set different priorities.

  Christine Todd Whitman: “He should’ve gone after immigration reform rather than Social Security. I absolutely agree with him on that. I think that was a mistake. Really, a very big mistake, because he had an opportunity to do something there. You had bills in both Houses, bi-partisan bills in both Houses, and we could’ve moved something along.”

  Whitman, a former governor of New Jersey, led the federal EPA for two years during President Bush’s first term. Now she heads her own environmental and energy consulting firm.

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  • January 12, 2009 6:06 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Richard Perle defends Bush's approach to war on terror

  As we near the end of George Bush’s presidency, we’ve been talking to people in and out of government about Mr. Bush’s legacy. Richard Perle is a leading neoconservative who served on a Pentagon advisory committee during President Bush’s first term. Perle defends the president’s foreign policy, although he says Mr. Bush could have done a lot better in one particular area.

  Richard Perle: “Bush may have been the worst president in my life time in explaining what he was doing, explaining why and how. Often he didn’t think it necessary to offer an explanation, so people were left to conclude whatever they could, based on the facts as they saw them. In that sense, he failed in one of the crucial requirements for the presidency.”

  Perle spoke on KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

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  • January 12, 2009 5:59 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• LA Times raises newsstand prices

  The Los Angeles Times today raised its newsstand price from 50 to 75 cents per copy. The price hike follows layoffs at the paper as its parent company navigates bankruptcy protection. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: During tough economic times, newspapers often raise newsstand prices to make up for lost advertising revenue. Newspaper Analyst John Morton writes for the American Journalism Review.

  John Morton: It used to be that if you raised your price by some amount, you’d lose somewhere around 5 percent of your circulation, but usually within a year or so you’d get it all back. What’s different now is if you lose it, you usually don’t get it back.

  Stoltze: That’s because the Internet offers, free of charge, much of the same information newspapers do. The Times’ daily circulation is 780,000. Morton says up to 30 percent of that is probably sold at newsstands.

  A Times spokeswoman says 75 cents a copy is “still one of the best deals in town.” She notes that many other area papers, including the Orange County Register, charge as much. The Times Sunday edition newsstand price remains $1.50.

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  • January 12, 2009 4:23 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Army Reserve wife offers advice for military families

  In El Monte today, friends and family welcomed home more than a hundred soldiers who’ve finished more than a year on duty in Iraq.

  They’re members of the 137th Quartermaster Company - an Army Reserve based in South El Monte. Dina Robles waited for her husband, Sergeant Edgar Robles. She says other military wives looked to her for advice during the deployment because this is her husband’s third tour with the 137th.

  Dina Robles: “We all worry, but we all worry in our own way. I worry about myself and I don’t do it in front of my kids because I have to be strong for my kids. They have to keep their mind concentrated on school, and they’re in sports.

  “That’s basically what I tell them, to be strong. You gotta live your life. You can’t just sit there and dwell on your husband being in the war. I know it’s worrisome. But we gotta live our life, too.”

  Her husband’s unit supported combat troops in Iraq by helping with vehicle searches – and by cleaning the hundreds of thousands of bundles of laundry.

  Although the 137th wasn’t in combat, the unit hasn’t come through the Iraq conflict unscathed. In the unit’s tour four years ago, a sergeant with the 137th was among 17 soldiers killed in a helicopter crash.

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  • January 12, 2009 4:20 PM
  • Categories: Society/Culture

• US Army Reserve unit returns from Iraq deployment

  More than a hundred soldiers from a U.S. Army Reserve unit based in the San Gabriel Valley are getting a big welcome home today in El Monte. They’re back after serving in Iraq for more than a year.

  Joe Leal is the company’s soldier and family readiness assistant. He says the unit’s men and women are eager to return to the lives they led before military service.

  Joe Leal: “They are husbands first. They work. They’re city managers. They could be police officers. We have some that are LAPD, managers.

  “They’re just living their daily jobs – and when they get the call, they put on the uniform, and they leave and they do their duty, and they come back and they go back into society.”

  Soldiers from the 137th Quartermaster Company provided combat support. They handled supply and laundry duty - but they also conducted vehicle searches. This is the unit’s second deployment in four years.

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  • January 12, 2009 4:12 PM

• Weather patterns bring warm January weather

  La Niña is back and she may be behind this week’s unseasonably hot weather in Southern California. Unlike El Niño - the pattern that brings cold, wet weather when ocean-borne jet streams heat up – La Niña forces those jet streams farther north.

  That cools down ocean temperatures at the equator and pushes dry, hot weather to land. Josh Willis – an oceanographer and climate scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena – told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” how La Niña is affecting the Southland.

  Josh Willis: “La Niña is a big pattern of sea-surface temperature in the Pacific Ocean. And of course, here in Southern California most of our weather comes right off the Pacific Ocean. So when the Pacific Ocean speaks we really listen here in Southern California.”

  Willis added that at least through this week la Niña will deliver dry, warm weather to the Southland.

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  • January 12, 2009 4:10 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Actors weigh in as SAG board meets

  Screen Actors Guild members may have to decide soon whether to authorize a strike. The Guild’s national board of directors is meeting today and tomorrow to decide when - or if - it will ask rank-and-file members to signal their position.

  Outside Guild headquarters, actress Carole Elliot said she’s ready to vote ‘yes’ in order to give SAG’s negotiating team some bargaining leverage against movie and TV producers. She took aim at the big stars who’ve said they’d vote ‘no.’

  Carole Eliot: “We can’t stand behind Tom Hanks and - I mean they may be wonderful people, but they’re producers! And they’re supplying the money. They don’t want to go on strike.

  “It doesn’t mean we’re going to have a strike. If we vote for a strike authorization, we need 75 percent of the return ballots saying yes. That does not mean we’re going on strike.”

  Many opponents of strike authorization say SAG’s negotiating team has failed in contract talks with film and TV producers.

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  • January 12, 2009 4:06 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• LA bills homeowners who install alarms

  Homeowners in the city of Los Angeles will have to fork over more cash before they install security systems on their properties. The L.A. City Council approved the ordinance today. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario has the story.

  Patricia Nazario: The ordinance would bar alarm companies from installing security systems until property owners pay a $31 fee and obtain a city permit. Security companies then must verify that homeowners have permission from the city and have paid the licensing fee before they install the alarm.

  City Council approved the ordinance because of a long and costly problem with false alarms. Half the calls the L.A. Police Department responds to involve un-permitted alarm systems.

  L.A. spends more than it collects from homeowners whose alarm systems go off by mistake. The city generally gets stuck with the extra expenses for un-permitted property owners and - until now - it hasn’t maintained addresses on file to bill for the costs and inconvenience.

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  • January 12, 2009 3:58 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Actors comment on SAG strike authorization

  The national board of directors of the Screen Actors Guild began a special meeting today to deal with growing internal tension over the possibility of a strike. As the meeting started, small groups of Guild members stood outside the union’s headquarters to weigh in on the question. Jerry Gelb opposes authorizing SAG’s leaders to call a walkout.

  Jerry Gelb: “The current platform that our leadership is working from is the standard old rallying, saber-rattling view that ‘we’re the good guys and they’re the bad guys and unless we get what we want, we need to go on strike.’ And right now, the leverage to be gained by wielding any hammer like a strike isn’t gonna bring us the results that they’re hoping to get.”

  Supporters of strike authorization say that leverage is key in talks with film and TV producers who haven’t yielded any ground so far.

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  • January 12, 2009 3:44 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy

• Fire warning issued due to unusually hot, dry, windy January

  Forecasters have issued a red flag fire warning through tomorrow afternoon because of unusually warm, dry, and windy conditions across the Southland. KPCC’s Frank Stoltze reports.

  Frank Stoltze: Under a red flag warning, fire departments place extra patrols in fire prone areas like hillside neighborhoods. In Los Angeles, officials imposed special restrictions that prohibit parking on certain narrow, hilly streets to ensure easy access to fire trucks.

  Forecasters predict strong Santa Ana winds across Southern California, especially through mountain passes and canyons. Winds will blow up to 40 miles an hour in the mountains, with gusts as high as 65 miles an hour.

  Along the coast and in the valleys, expect winds around 25 an miles an hour. Officials warned that drivers of large trucks or vans may have to handle wind resistance.

  While other parts of the country are coping with freezing weather, the Southland will see temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

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  • January 12, 2009 3:09 PM
  • Categories: Environment

• Bush defends government response to Hurricane Katrina

  President Bush acknowledged the federal government could have done better, but mostly he defended his and the federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina three-and-a-half years ago.

  Mr. Bush said he had thought long and hard about whether he could have done something different, such as land Air Force One in New Orleans or Baton Rouge shortly after the flooding began. But President Bush told reporters he believes that also would have generated criticism.

  George W. Bush: “Law enforcement would have been pulled away from the mission. And then your questions I suspect would have been, ‘How could you possibly have flown Air Force One into Baton Rouge and police officers that were needed to expedite traffic out of New Orleans were taken off the task to look after you?’”

  At the time, many people criticized President Bush for flying over the devastation. Critics also said the federal government responded too slowly to the disaster.

  But Bush forcefully responded to those critics this morning. He argued that rescuers moved 30,000 stranded people from roofs right after the storm.

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  • January 12, 2009 1:59 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Ontario hosts 11th Annual Academy of Model Aeronautics Expo

  Some of the greatest model airplane flyers have flocked to Ontario this weekend for the 11th Annual Academy of Model Aeronautics Expo. KPCC’s Inland Empire reporter Steven Cuevas says they’ll fill the skies with the latest in miniature aeronautics.

  Steven Cuevas: In the old days, the noise of model planes - and their unpredictable flight patterns - relegated pilots to isolated parks and fields. These days, model aircraft rely on electric motors. That means planes are quieter and pollute less than their gas-fueled ancestors.

  Today’s “electrics” are also faster, weigh less - and are more precise in flight. That enables young pilots like Nick Maxwell to pull off some pretty crazy moves.

  The 19-year-old is famous on the model flying circuit for his crash-defying stunts. He’ll be showing off those moves this weekend in Ontario. If you can’t make it check out some of his work on the AMA Web site.

  [Sound of electric helicopter]

  The AMA Expo will also feature remote control trains, boats, and rockets. The 11th Annual Academy of Model Aeronautics Expo will soar through Sunday at the Ontario Convention Center.

  Link: Academy of Model Aeronautics

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  • January 9, 2009 5:30 PM
  • Categories: Science/Technology, Transportation

• Salvation Army holds celebrity shoe drive

  The Salvation Army has signed on some well-heeled celebrities for a charity effort. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario says tomorrow’s event isn’t just for loafers.

  Patricia Nazario: Organizers are calling it the first celebrity charity shoe-throwing competition.

  Melanie Griffith and her husband, Antonio Banderas, are among a dozen actors who’ve confirmed they’ll participate.

  The competition features children’s, ladies’, and men’s categories. Whoever throws their shoes the farthest in each category will receive a “Golden Shoe Award.”

  The Salvation Army is collecting all the shoes at the event: sneakers, boots, pumps – you name it. Organizers plan to donate half the bundle directly to needy families, instead of selling them at Salvation Army stores.

  The star-studded event is open to the public. Participants must sign in – and must bring a pair of new or barely used shoes to toss.

  Note: The event at the Rancho Park Golf Course in West Los Angeles takes place from noon to 2 o’clock Saturday.

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  • January 9, 2009 5:26 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Congressional oversight panel criticizes monitoring of bailout money

  A congressional oversight panel has accused the federal Treasury Department of not adequately monitoring $350 billion in taxpayer money it lent to financial institutions through the Troubled Assets Relief Program.

  Economist Christopher Thornberg said it isn’t easy to determine where every dollar goes.

  Christopher Thornberg: “Realistically, the concept of tracking this money, it’s just silly.”

  Joseph Mason teaches business at Louisiana State University and the Wharton School. He said Treasury officials have never articulated what they’d use the troubled asset money for.

  Joseph Mason: “We’re still making up policy as we go along based upon some made up understanding that’s only in the treasury secretary’s head about the causes of this crisis, and so far that hasn’t worked very well.”

  Mason and Thornberg spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Members of a congressional oversight panel say the Treasury’s lack of oversight has hindered its ability to restore confidence in financial markets. They’re calling for more transparency and for stricter regulations on banks and other lending institutions.

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  • January 9, 2009 5:22 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Carona jury continues deliberations

  The jury in the federal corruption trial of former Orange County sheriff Mike Carona hasn’t reached a verdict yet. But KPCC’s Susan Valot says the panel did send a note to the judge this morning.

  Susan Valot: Like yesterday, the jury in Santa Ana met for about four hours but did not reach a verdict. The 11 men and one woman are trying to decide whether Carona is guilty of accepting thousands of dollars in cash and gifts in exchange for political favors.

  The case centers around charges of conspiracy, mail fraud, and witness tampering. The jury’s asked the judge if it can get a list of “overt acts” that happened after October 25, 2002. That’s the date that marks the statute of limitations.

  Prosecutors listed 64 “overt acts” that happened both before and after that date. At least one such act is needed for a conviction. The jury also asked the judge for a list of the exhibits, with titles. The judge gave the jury both lists.

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  • January 9, 2009 5:19 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA County certifies East LA cityhood petition drive

  L.A. County officials have certified a petition drive to form a city in unincorporated East Los Angeles. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports that people there are looking forward to their next steps.

  Molly Peterson: The county commission that handles local government formation certified the effort Wednesday. State Senator Gloria Romero has represented East L.A. for a decade. She says more than enough people signaled their support for cityhood.

  Gloria Romero: And the numbers we got back from the people of L.A. was an overwhelming si se puede. Yes we can.

  Peterson: Now, Los Angeles County will require East L.A. to analyze whether it can it thrive as an economically viable city. That’ll take $100,000 and several months.

  The area is a densely-packed home to 140,000 people, mostly Latinos. East L.A. Residents Association treasurer Gustavo Camacho says cityhood advocates want the kind of public services they see in neighboring areas.

  Gustavo Camacho: As communities around us progress, they provide a bigger quality of life for their residents. Unfortunately, East Los Angeles has always been seen as a donut hole. Where all communities around it grow, but this community hasn’t been able to grow at same pace others have.

  Peterson: Cityhood in East L.A. isn’t a new idea – its last effort failed 35 years ago. Just six years ago, voters in L.A. County rejected the most recent incorporation effort, in the Hacienda Heights area.

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  • January 9, 2009 5:14 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• President's economic policy advisor talks about 9/11 influence

  The events of September 11, 2001 left an indelible mark on President George W. Bush’s first year in office. Allan Hubbard, the president’s former assistant for economic policy, spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” about the way the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon influenced the Bush administration’s economic policies.

  Allan Hubbard: “9/11 obviously became… and the war on terror became the number one priority of the president, but he continued to pursue his economic goals; also including free trade, dealing with the biggest fiscal challenge in the country, which is the entitlement.”

  Hubbard said that despite the current recession, he believes that during the last eight years the president and his administration have done an excellent job handling the nation’s economy. Hubbard is now chairman of E&A Industries, an Indianapolis-based firm that acquires manufacturing companies.

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  • January 9, 2009 4:38 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Race is on for Hilda Solis' congressional seat

  As Labor Secretary-designate Hilda Solis faced a U.S. Senate confirmation hearing today, a couple of Southern Californians announced they’ll run for her seat in Congress. Here’s an introduction from KPCC’s Patricia Nazario.

  Patricia Nazario: The first is Democratic state senator Gilbert Cedillo. The East L.A. native has represented the Alhambra, Maywood, San Marino, Vernon, and South Pasadena in Sacramento for eight years.

  Cedillo, a grandfather, is the highest-profile contender for the 32nd District congressional seat. That district stretches across East L.A. and the San Gabriel Valley.

  Cedillo’s most identifiable opponent, for now, is 26-year-old Emanuel Pleitez. The son of a single mom was born and raised in East L.A. Pleitez graduated from Wilson High School in 2001 and from Stanford University two-and-a-half years ago. He took time off from college to work on Antonio Villaraigosa’s city council and mayoral campaigns.

  Pleitez plans to formally announce his candidacy for Solis’ seat at his old high school. He’s already started to form his campaign out of his best friend’s parents’ home in El Sereno, while they’re gone to work.

  Note: Cedillo launched his campaign today. The Pleitez announcement is scheduled for tomorrow morning.

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  • January 9, 2009 4:35 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Tecnology lets developer sell many downtown lofts at once

  Downtown L.A. lofts for sale – to the highest bidders – all at once! A developer demonstrated new technology today it will use to auction off 79 lofts in downtown L.A.’s Rowan building simultaneously - rather than the traditional one at a time.

  The Web-based technology allows pre-approved bidders to keep tabs on the highest bids for all the units up for auction - and adjust their bidding strategy as the auction continues. Bill Stevenson helped develop the technology. He says it helps sellers move faster, and learn more about what buyers are willing to pay.

  Bill Stevenson: “It’s difficult to get sales quickly in this market. We don’t, exactly where to price either. Nobody is an expert out here. What we’ve done is we’ve set these reserve prices - these minimum bids - at what we believe are below the market, and say, ‘OK now, you - the buying public - tell us where the market really is.’”

  The minimum bid on the cheapest loft is $195,000. Stevenson says the building - at 4th and Spring Streets- had pre-sold 120 of its 206 lofts, but the rough economy and construction delays knocked that number down to around 30.

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  • January 9, 2009 2:51 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Assemblyman Lieu speaks on Citigroup working with borrowers

  Banking leader Citigroup’s announcement that it will try to work with mortgage borrowers to stem the tide of foreclosures sits well with the author of a Sacramento bill that aims to do the same thing. Assemblyman Ted Lieu spoke with KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

  Ted Lieu: “What this will do is allow consumers to modify their loans in bankruptcy. But I do think it’s important to have these loans be modified prior to bankruptcy because we don’t want to have that be the only option to a homeowner.

  “And so we’ve introduced the California Foreclosure Prevention Bill, which establishes a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and allows a bank to avoid it if they modify, or have a program to modify, people’s loans.”

  Citigroup - one of the few major banks to favor concessions to homeowners – faces a fight from financial industry lobbyists. Other lenders maintain that altering mortgage loans would drive up the cost of borrowing for a home.

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  • January 9, 2009 2:37 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• East LA moves toward cityhood vote

  The East Los Angeles Residents Association is declaring its independence today. The group’s president, Oscar Gonzalez, says it has gathered enough petition signatures to move the question of independent cityhood closer to a vote in another year or so.

  Oscar Gonzalez: “I think that what people want is access to local government. Why not East L.A.? We’re a county of 10 million residents. And we believe that we just have outgrown the size of the representation that we’re presently being provided.”

  Gonzalez says forming unincorporated East Los Angeles into a city would improve roads, reduce crime, and provide better services for kids and seniors. People who live in East L.A. will work to raise money for a comprehensive financial analysis, to determine whether the proposed city would be economically viable.

  Six years ago, voters in L.A. County rejected the most recent incorporation effort, in the Hacienda Heights area.

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  • January 9, 2009 2:30 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• Jurors deliberate fate of ex-Orange County Sheriff Carona

  Jurors will enter their second day of deliberations Friday in the federal corruption case against former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona. KPCC’s Susan Valot says jurors got the case today.

  Susan Valot: Jurors seemed pretty peppy once they were handed the case at about lunchtime. They’ve spent more than two months listening to testimony and arguments. Now, they’ve got to sort through 59 pages of jury instructions to decide whether Carona broke federal law.

  Prosecutors say he used his office for personal gain by trading favors for bribes. And the prosecution’s main witness is Carona himself. The former sheriff never testified. But his former assistant sheriff, Don Haidl, secretly recorded conversations with Carona, talking about the deals they allegedly made. Prosecutors say the tapes show Carona formed a cover story with Haidl to hide their actions.

  But defense attorneys say Carona was simply stating the truth on the recordings; no cover story.

  The jury of 11 men and one woman deliberated for nearly four hours today. If convicted, Carona could be sentenced to eight years in prison.

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  • January 8, 2009 8:14 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Non-profit founder explains dire need for medical aid to Gaza

  As the death toll in Gaza rises, international charities are working to establish a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of relief supplies. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario says one of the organizations preparing to help Palestinians is based in Southern California.

  Patricia Nazario: Operation USA is preparing at least 15 tons of medical supplies – gauze, syringes, and bandages – for shipment within the next couple of weeks.

  The organization’s founder, Richard Walden, says Gaza needs immediate help because it lacks a sophisticated first-aid infrastructure.

  Richard Walden: “Twenty years ago, it was a piece of desert, that was made into a large refugee camp, that became a territory. It doesn’t have all the things that a city or a province would have in another country, where you’d have long-standing people who’ve lived there.”

  Nazario: Walden says Culver City based Operation USA has conducted worldwide disaster relief since he started the organization 30 years ago.

  More information about its partner organizations and the pending relief effort in Gaza is online at OPUSA.org.

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  • January 8, 2009 7:28 PM
  • Categories: Health, Politics/Public Affairs, Society/Culture

• Prop 8 supporters file lawsuit challenging state campaign finance laws

  Supporters of Proposition 8 have filed a federal lawsuit that challenges the state’s campaign finance laws. KPCC’s Molly Peterson reports.

  Molly Peterson: The Yes on 8 campaign says the ballot question’s opponents have harassed Californians who supported the ballot measure that defined marriage as between a man and a woman.

  A lawsuit filed in federal court in Sacramento lists phone calls, vandalism, death threats, and other incidents as evidence that the state’s campaign finance laws are unconstitutional.

  California requires people who donate $100 or more to ballot campaigns to make public their names, addresses, and phone numbers. Yes on 8’s claim aims to end that practice. It argues that donors’ First Amendment right to speak in the public arena free from threat is more important than the state’s interest in disclosure.

  Opponents of Prop 8 used campaign finance records to target supporters in Los Angeles. The manager of El Coyote restaurant in Hollywood,who’d donated to the Yes side, resigned after protesters gathered outside and threatened a boycott.

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  • January 8, 2009 7:24 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Poll: Most Americans willing to pay taxes for infrastructure

  Most Americans are willing to pay a little more in taxes to upgrade schools, roads, and other public works projects. That’s the finding of a poll commissioned by a group called Building America’s Future.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg head the organization. Its survey found that 81 percent of Americans are prepared to pay one percent more in federal taxes for re-building efforts.

  Governor Schwarzenegger says the poll results don’t surprise him because Californians have overwhelmingly supported bond measures for projects like that.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “The people are willing to pay for it. They want to have their infrastructure kept up. They want to have the infrastructure kept up, they want to have new roads and new schools. They don’t want to have their kids in overcrowded classrooms…”

  Schwarzenegger also had positive words for President-elect Barack Obama’s re-building proposals, particularly those that involve renewable energy.

  Building America’s Future conducted the online poll of 800 adults late last month.

  LINK: Building America’s Future

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  • January 8, 2009 7:20 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs, Society/Culture, Transportation

• State legislative analyst worried about borrowing in Schwarzenegger's budget plan

  Reasonable, but risky. That’s how the state’s non-partisan legislative analyst describes Governor Schwarzenegger’s latest budget proposal.

  Mac Taylor says the plan is a “good faith effort.” He agrees with the Administration that the state faces a $40 billion shortfall. But Taylor is worried about the borrowing in the governor’s plan.

  Mac Taylor: “So you’ve got at least $23 billion in ‘09; 10 that you have to finance through the credit markets, and given the status of those markets at the time, that could be very difficult for the state to do, to access that credit in the coming year.”

  Taylor says he’s also concerned about the legality of “revenue anticipation warrants,” another expensive type of borrowing the governor wants to use.

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  • January 8, 2009 7:16 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Local non-profit prepares to send emergency relief to Gaza

  A Southland non-profit that specializes in disaster relief is joining several international charities to donate first-aid medical supplies to Gaza.

  Culver City-based Operation USA is preparing at least 15 tons of gauze, syringes, and bandages for shipment within the next couple of weeks. Its founder, Richard Walden, says the organization needs financial contributions to buy more supplies. He expects some resistance because people on both sides of the conflict harbor very strong reactions.

  Richard Walden: “But on the other hand, a lot of people see it for what it is. It’s a humanitarian crisis rather than an ethnic or religious war. We’re not looking at the merits of either side’s positions. We’re looking at the fact that thousands of people have been injured.”

  Operation USA is partnering with the International Red Cross, World Vision, Save the Children, and other groups to ship emergency supplies to Gaza.

  LINK: Operation USA

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  • January 8, 2009 7:11 PM
  • Categories: Health, Politics/Public Affairs, Society/Culture

• LA City Councilman Smith proposes smoking ban for outdoor restaurants

  The City of Los Angeles is looking to limit second-hand smoke exposure near restaurants. Councilman Greig Smith’s proposed ordinance would ban smoking at eateries with outdoor seating areas. He told KPCC’s “AirTalk” who would be subject to fines.

  Councilman Greig Smith: “The person that is committing the violation is the person that we would cite, if we cite anybody. Unless the restaurant is notified by people, ‘Hey, there’s people out there smoking, please tell them to stop,’ and they say, ‘No, we’re not going to do that.’ Then we would make also the establishment liable.”

  Smith said the law would apply within 10 feet of any establishment that serves food, except bars with outdoor seating and other adults-only venues. The L.A. City Council could approve the ban by this summer.

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  • January 8, 2009 7:08 PM
  • Categories: Health, Politics/Public Affairs

• Protests break out at Oakland transit meeting about police shooting

  Angry protests broke out last night in Oakland on the eve of a Bay Area Rapid Transit meeting about the shooting death of a man in one of its stations. Reporter Bret Burkhart of KGO Radio said the meeting, a week after the death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant, attracted a very emotional crowd.

  Bret Burkhart: “Many asking why the now-former BART officer has not been arrested; many blaming the shooting on racism; some asking why the other officers haven’t been suspended or arrested. Some denouncing the violence last night, but others supported it, and blamed the BART board for it. Some called on the BART boycott, and called for the resignation of some of the board members.”

  Burkhart told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that cell phone videos, widely circulated online, show three officers standing over Grant, who lay on his stomach and was shot in the back. The transit police officer who allegedly shot Grant has resigned from his job. Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums announced he will launch a third investigation into the shooting.

  LINK: BART

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  • January 8, 2009 7:03 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Transportation

• US participates with other nations in new anti-piracy patrols

  A new international anti-piracy force has set sail under American command. It’s starting patrols next week to counter a surge of activity by Somali pirates. Commander Jane Campbell with the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet described the mission to KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  Commander Jane Campbell: “We are authorized to go in and interdict if we see somebody in the act of piracy; and quite frankly, just given the size of the area, we’re not going to be there, even with this new task force – be able to be everywhere in what is basically a 1.1 million square mile area.”

  Campbell’s fleet is based in Bahrain; it’ll participate with more than 20 nations to combat piracy. Last year, pirates targeted more than 100 ships and commandeered more than 40 off the coast of Somalia. At present, those pirates are holding 315 members of commercial ships’ crews as hostages.

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  • January 8, 2009 6:59 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• LA City Council considers smoking ban for outdoor restaurants

  The Los Angeles City Council’s considering whether to expand L.A.’s smoking ban to outdoor dining areas. It would prohibit smoking within 10 feet of outdoor establishments that serve food.

  A similar law in the city of Calabasas has logged fewer than 20 violations in two years, said Calabasas City Councilman Barry Groverman. He explained some of the medical reasons for a smoking ban to KPCC’s “AirTalk.”

  Councilman Barry Groverman: “Cigarettes are – first of all they’re filtered, and second they’re very hot. When you breathe off of a cigarette, it’s very, very hot and it causes a reaction in the lung that causes you to cough, so cigarette smokers tend to smoke shallow. When you’re outside, that heat effect is gone, it’s cooler, room temperature, and it gets very deep into the tissue of the lung; and the lung surgeons can actually identify the distinction.”

  Calabasas was the first Southland municipality to enact outdoor smoking restrictions. If the L.A. City Council approves it, a ban with exceptions for bars and other adult-only venues could be in place by summer.

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  • January 8, 2009 6:51 PM
  • Categories: Health, Politics/Public Affairs

• Heal the Bay: Too many toxins getting into LA waters

  The environmental group Heal the Bay says regulators aren’t doing a good enough job of keeping toxic substances out of L.A. waters. State and federal laws require industrial plants to test for how wastewater affects aquatic life. In a new report, Heal the Bay scientist Charlotte Stevenson says polluters are failing those tests without penalty.

  Charlotte Stevenson: “Water that is toxic to aquatic life is being discharged into L.A.’s waterways, and likely this is really just sort of the tip of the iceberg, because the lack of action by the state has probably caused this laxness on toxicity enforcement throughout the entire state.”

  Stevenson says California needs clearer standards to measure how toxic wastewater is. State regulators say that they’re working on those, and that in the meantime they’re enforcing water quality rules as well as they can.

  LINK: Heal the Bay

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  • January 8, 2009 6:44 PM
  • Categories: Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Corruption case against ex-OC sheriff goes to jury

  After more than two months of testimony and arguments, the jury finally today began deliberations in the federal corruption case against former Orange County sheriff Mike Carona. The jury got the case around noon. KPCC’s Susan Valot has been in the courtroom in Santa Ana.

  Susan Valot: Prosecutors spent the morning rebutting the defense’s closing arguments. Defense attorneys say the prosecution’s main witnesses are liars. They say the evidence just isn’t there to convict Carona. But prosecutors say it is there.

  Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Sagel repeatedly told the jury that the “truth is the truth” – as laid out in the secretly recorded conversations between Carona and his former assistant sheriff Don Haidl. Sagel said on those recordings, Carona and Haidl try to come up with a cover story to hide a conspiracy to use Carona’s position as sheriff to make money.

  Sagel pointed out that not once during the several hours of tape does Carona get up and say he didn’t know what Haidl was talking about – or question statements Haidl made about money and gift exchanges. Eleven men and one woman will decide whether to convict Carona.

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  • January 8, 2009 5:12 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Economist says government has to respond to retail slump

  Washington lawmakers and policy experts are debating the size - and the timing – of a proposed federal stimulus package. Jon Haveman, founding principal of Beacon Economics, told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that the government will have to respond to the slump in retail - and soon.

  Jon Haveman: “Somebody spending - the only thing that can turn around these numbers – and it’s not likely to be the American people. That’s more likely to be the American government.

  “We had Barack Obama this morning making his pitch for a $700 billion-plus stimulus package and it’s quite clear that something like that is going to be necessary from the American government.”

  Haveman said that’s because Americans fearful about their economic security are saving and not spending.

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  • January 8, 2009 5:07 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Macy's closure underscores retail problems

  Last month marked one of the worst holiday shopping seasons on record for American retailers. Jon Haveman of Beacon Economics said today’s announcement that Macy’s would close 11 department stores - including one in downtown Los Angeles - underscores retail’s problems.

  Jon Haveman: “California is in fact a little bit worse than the national average and this is just a high profile event. And that sort of synthesizes or expresses what’s been going on in California for the last two years. Retail in employment in California has been falling since about February of 2007.”

  Haveman, author of “An Economic Backdrop for Fiscal Reform in California,” told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that the mortgage lending and foreclosure crisis plays into the decline in retail profits.

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  • January 8, 2009 5:02 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Directors Guild announce Best Director nominees

  Five directors of five highly-acclaimed films are on the Directors Guild list of nominees for Best Director of last year. KPCC’s Nick Roman has the list in hand.

  Nick Roman: The Directors Guild chose an impressive group of directors that turned out an equally impressive group of films. The Guild nominated Ron Howard for “Frost/Nixon.” It’s his fourth nomination - and he’s won twice.

  Gus Van Sant is up for the biopic “Milk.” Christopher Nolan is nominated for the Batman summer blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” Two directors got their first nominations: David Fincher for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” - and Danny Boyle for “Slumdog Millionaire.”

  Boyle’s on a hot streak. He was picked as the Best Director of 2008 by the L.A. Film Critics Association - and he’s up for a Golden Globe Award. Fincher and Howard are also Golden Globe nominees.

  The Directors Guild presents its award at the end of the month. The winner has a very good shot at an Academy Award. The Directors Guild has been honoring film directors for 60 years. The winner of its award goes on to win an Oscar 90 percent of the time.

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  • January 8, 2009 4:59 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador refugees can still re-register

  The re-registration deadline ended last month, but natives of Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador may still qualify for temporary protected immigration status. More on the story from KPCC’s Patricia Nazario.

  Patricia Nazario: U.S. Immigration officials say people may qualify – if they can demonstrate good cause for failing to file during the re-registration period. Before that period ended on December 30th, hundreds of people from Central American countries applied at consulates in Los Angeles and Santa Ana.

  To qualify for the exception, foreign nationals must submit documents that prove they lived in the United States eight years ago. That’s when earthquakes in their native countries prompted the U.S. government to extend protected legal residence to these immigrants.

  Their renewal applications must also include a letter, along with any evidence that helps explain why they didn’t complete the process last year.

  It costs $350 to renew work permits. Applicants who cannot pay the fees can request fee waivers. Immigration officials will consider applications case-by-case.

  Link: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

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  • January 8, 2009 4:54 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs

• State schools superintendent responds to proposed budget cuts

  A state proposal to save money by trimming five days from the school year doesn’t sit well with California’s superintendent of public instruction.

  Jack O’Connell told KPCC’s “AirTalk” he doesn’t believe the state is going to save $1 billion, as the governor’s administration claims.

  Jack O’Connell: “Here’s the reality – these districts have collective bargaining agreements already. So, we have a thousand school districts in the state, and I don’t believe you’re going to see a majority of these school districts be able to renegotiate and suddenly in the middle of the year reduce funding for these five days.”

  The state finance department spokesman has said that no school district will be forced to cut days from the academic year for budget reasons.

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  • January 8, 2009 1:08 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• School year cut would not be mandatory

  The Schwarzenegger administration is defending a proposal that would allow school districts to save money by cutting five days from the academic year. H.D. Palmer is a spokesman for the state department of finance. He told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that the proposal would not be mandatory.

  H.D. Palmer: “It is not something that we are proposing as you shall do this or you must do this, we are giving school districts the option of doing this in order to save what again would be, as you noted, a little bit over $1 billion in the coming fiscal year. This is not a proposal that would affect the current school year or the current fiscal year.”

  Palmer added that educators suggested the proposal last year when they met with the governor about the budget crisis.

  But state schools superintendent Jack O’Connell responded that there are better ways to save money - and that districts shouldn’t even have the option of cutting instructional days. O’Connell said he realizes that California will have to cut education money amid the budget crisis, but he added that the state should do it with a scalpel - not a meat axe.

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  • January 8, 2009 1:06 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education

• State superintendent opposes shortening school year

  The state schools superintendent is criticizing a budget proposal that would allow school districts to shave five days off of their school year. The proposal by Governor Schwarzenegger would give districts the option of reducing their school year from 180 days down to 175 days to save money.

  State Superintendent Jack O’Connell told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that cutting school days is not the way to go.

  Jack O’Connell: “We know we’re going to have to postpone the purchase of much needed textbooks, and computers, and technology, and professional development for our professional educators - all of them really necessary for our students. But to deny our student a learning opportunity that every other class has had since we increased to 180 – I want more learning opportunities for our students, not fewer.”

  O’Connell also argues that such a move could put students in poor areas at a further disadvantage, since wealthier districts might be able to pay for the extra five school days on their own.

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  • January 8, 2009 1:02 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• Macy's closes downtown LA store

  The bad economic news just keeps on coming. Macy’s says it’s closing 11 stores across the country - including one in Los Angeles. KPCC’s Nick Roman has the details.

  Nick Roman: Macy’s reports same-store sales in December fell 4 percent from the year before. That wasn’t as bad as expected – but to get there, the Cincinnati-based retailer had to discount merchandise sharply to drive up the sales numbers. It’s no surprise then that Macy’s followed its gloomy sales report with an announcement that it’s closing 11 stores in nine states.

  Among the closures is a Macy’s store in Downtown L.A. at 7th and Figueroa. It’s a good spot if you work in downtown – or if you ride the bus or the Metro Red Line. But it’s a little tough to see from the street - and parking’s no picnic. The store’s been open for 20 years - but it never seems to be especially busy.

  Macy’s president says closing this store is part of the retailer’s usual end-of-the-year process to “prune under-performing locations.” Clearance sales start next week. As for the 136 workers at that downtown Macy’s – they might be able to switch to other Macy’s stores in the Southland.

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  • January 8, 2009 1:00 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy

• Defense attorneys say allegations against Carona are false

  Defense attorneys in the federal corruption trial of former Orange County sheriff Mike Carona yesterday went over the allegations for the jury - one act at a time. It took them all day to finish up their closing arguments. KPCC’s Susan Valot was in the Santa Ana courtroom.

  Susan Valot: Carona’s attorney Jeff Rawitz detailed the allegations, and then went over why Carona was not guilty of any of them. The defense’s main theme – the prosecution’s chief witnesses lied.

  They say former assistant sheriff Don Haidl - who secretly recorded conversations with Carona - has every reason to lie because it could mean a lighter sentence for him. Haidl’s already pleaded guilty to federal tax charges. Attorney Rawitz told the jury Haidl’s stories are “preposterous” – and that Carona never would have risked his up-and-coming political career for such a small return.

  The defense also hammered the prosecution for not calling to the stand another key witness: former assistant sheriff George Jaramillo. They say without his testimony, there are gaping holes in the prosecution’s case. Prosecutors will get a chance to address that - and other issues - with their rebuttal before the case goes to the jury.

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  • January 8, 2009 12:54 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs

• Writers Guild Announces 2008 Award Nominees

  Joel and Ethan Coen are back among the nominees this year for Writers Guild of America Awards. KPCC’s Brian Watt has more on the contenders.

  Brian Watt: The brothers Coen won last year’s Writers Guild Award for best Adapted Screenplay with “No Country for Old Men.”

  This go-round, they turn up in the Original Screenplay category for “Burn After Reading.” They’re up against Woody Allen for “Vicky Cristina Barcelona,” Dustin Lance Black for “Milk,” Tom McCarthy for “The Visitor,” and Robert Siegel for “The Wrestler.”

  Another set of brothers is nominated for best Adapted Screenplay. Christopher and Jonathan Nolan wrote “The Dark Knight,” based on DC Comics’ “Batman.” Also in the category: The screenwriters behind “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Doubt,” “Frost/Nixon,” and “Slumdog Millionaire.”

  From TV, the writing teams behind “Dexter,” “Friday Night Lights,” “Lost,” “Mad Men,” and “The Wire” are vying for best Dramatic Series. Scribes from “30 Rock,” “The Simpsons,” “Entourage,” “The Office,” and “Weeds” square off in the Comedy Series category.

  LINK: Writers Guild of America

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  • January 7, 2009 6:11 PM
  • Categories: Arts

• Schwarzenegger says he'll talk budget with lawmakers again

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger says he’s restarting stalled budget talks with legislative leaders to get a quick deficit-cutting deal finished. The state government is on the verge of paying out IOUs if it doesn’t close some or all of a budget deficit that could reach as high as $42 billion over the next year and a half.

  The governor says neither Democrats nor Republicans in Sacramento have done enough to solve the crisis.

  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger: “It’s not enough for Republicans just to say that, ‘We wanna see first the cuts before we even talk about revenues.’ And it’s not enough for Democrats to say, ‘We wanna first see extra revenues before we talk about cuts.’ Our state needs both in order to weather this crisis.”

  Democrats passed an $18 billion deficit reduction package that the governor rejected. He’s proposed his own bigger package that included enough spending cuts, revenue increases, and borrowing to cover the deficit. But so far, he’s had no takers from either the Democrats or the Republicans.

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  • January 7, 2009 6:06 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Congressman Royce calls for SEC overhaul

  Amid Congressional hearings on Bernard Madoff’s alleged $50 billion pyramid scheme, Orange County congressman Ed Royce told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that it’s time to overhaul the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.

  Ed Royce: “It’s an agency full of government bureaucrats who have little understanding of how the markets function, and if we replaced those bureaucrats with individuals with a better understanding of our markets, that would help prevent these types of episodes.”

  Lawmakers from both major parties are expressing dismay that federal regulators didn’t clue in to alleged problems with Madoff’s financial statements. Royce, a Republican, urged better enforcement of existing regulations.

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  • January 7, 2009 5:23 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice

• Sherman calls on SEC members to resign over Madoff

  Congressional hearings are underway this week on Bernard Madoff’s alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme. Members of the U.S. House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets say they’re more about investigating this scandal - and preventing a future one - than about finger-pointing.

  But Southland Congressman Brad Sherman told KPCC’s “Patt Morrison” that if federal regulators had done their job, they’d have uncovered fraud a long time ago.

  Brad Sherman: “What they would have seen is two things, first a figure of $17 billion for the assets that Madoff was claiming to have and they would have seen an auditor’s report from an audit firm that no one ever heard of. And if they had bothered to find out that that audit firm had only one CPA, they would have realized that no proper audit could have been conducted.”

  Sherman, a Democrat, said that all sitting members of the federal Securities and Exchange Commission should offer to resign for failing to read Madoff’s annual financial statements close enough.

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  • January 7, 2009 5:04 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice

• Malibu man arrested for participation in Ponzi scheme

  Federal authorities have arrested a Malibu man for allegedly participating in a Ponzi scheme that netted him and a partner millions of dollars. More on the story from KPCC’s Brian Watt.

  Brian Watt: In this alleged racket, the draw was foreign currency exchange. Forty-three-year-old Charles Martin of Malibu worked with John Walsh of the Chicago area for a company called One World.

  They allegedly diverted millions from a pot of money One World customers thought the men would use to secure foreign currency trades. Federal prosecutors say they even recruited new customers when the pot was running low.

  And, the feds say, they didn’t just sit on the money. A former One World colleague told agents that Charles Martin spent like a billionaire. Millions at restaurants and elite hotels, on private jet flights, and a fleet of luxury vehicles.

  Bank records also suggest Martin and Walsh had stars in their eyes: they allegedly used diverted dollars to finance production of a movie called Order of Redemption. If they’re convicted, redemption could cost each of them up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

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  • January 7, 2009 4:23 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• LA to exercise outdoor advertising limits

  Now that a federal appeals court has upheld the city of Los Angeles’ right to limit outdoor advertising, L.A. plans to exercise that right as much as possible, says David Michaelson of the City Attorney’s office.

  David Michaelson: “The city planning department is right now preparing new regulations in a comprehensive extensive way governing all aspects of off-site signage, billboards, super graphics, digital signs, you name it. Those new regulations, in a draft form, will probably be released to the city planning commission within a few weeks now.”

  Michaelson spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” The appeals court invalidated a billboard company’s challenge to the city on free speech grounds. Although the ruling allows Los Angeles more flexibility in limiting outdoor ads, Michaelson says the city’s facing challenges from other advertising companies.

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  • January 7, 2009 4:13 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Criminal Justice

• Home Depot on decision to drop Sunland-Tujunga store

  Community activists in the northeast San Fernando Valley are celebrating today. Home Depot is dropping a long-term effort to build a store in Sunland-Tujunga.

  Opponents had mounted an intense campaign against the store, saying it would drive small hardware stores out of business and hurt the local environment. Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher talked about why the company is giving up.

  Kathryn Gallagher: “It’s twofold. Given the steps required by the city as well as the current economic landscape, and both of those just point to the fact that it just simply doesn’t make sense, business sense, for us to pursue this project.”

  Gallagher spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” As part of its decision not to pursue a store in Sunland-Tujunga, Home Depot is dropping a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles.

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  • January 7, 2009 2:59 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Faculty association releases report on budget cuts

  In a new report, the union that represents instructors at Cal State University campuses takes aim at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts.

  Schwarzenegger’s proposed cutting millions of dollars from the state’s education system to help close a big budget gap. California Faculty Association president Lillian Taiz says that years of cuts have already created obstacles for low-income students in the Cal State system.

  Lillian Taiz: “They can’t get out in four years. They’re lucky to get out in six years. It could take longer. They’re going to go head over heels in debt, if they can figure out how to fill out the forms. Their library isn’t open as many hours as it should be.”

  The California Faculty Association’s report indicates that California ranks 49th of 50 states in educational attainment – the percentage of the adult population that holds at least a high school diploma.

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  • January 7, 2009 2:56 PM
  • Categories: Education

• Anti-Home Depot campaign wins victory in Sunland-Tujunga

  Home Depot is dropping its effort to build a store in Sunland-Tujunga in the San Fernando Valley. The company says it no longer makes business sense to pursue the store, given the recession, and the cost of complying with the city of L.A.’s environmental regulations.

  Community activists fought a long battle against Home Depot. They felt it would kill small hardware stores and harm the environment. Joe Barrett is chairman of the No on Home Depot Campaign.

  Joe Barrett: “The site is surrounded by homes on three sides and there’s an elementary school less than 500 feet away, and the type of traffic that Home Depot attracts is industrial in nature, a lot of trucks.

  “And what we really needed, and what our community plan calls for, is a neighborhood retail center that serves the needs of the community, and we never felt like Home Depot fit that profile.”

  Barrett spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Home Depot operates 13 stores in Los Angeles.

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  • January 7, 2009 2:48 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Carona defense attorneys finish closing arguments

  Defense attorneys for former Orange County sheriff Mike Carona are finishing their closing arguments today. They’re struggling to overcome the testimony of former assistant sheriff Don Haidl – the Newport Beach businessman who was Carona’s biggest political backer. He told jurors about alleged schemes he and Carona cooked up to bring in political money.

  Prosecutors also used secretly-recorded conversations between Haidl and Carona in which the two men talk about what to say to investigators. KPCC’s Susan Valot says the defense is telling the jury the tapes don’t show a dishonest Carona, as prosecutors claim.

  Susan Valot: “They’re saying that Carona just flat out didn’t do what prosecutors are alleging. They say that if you listen to the secretly-recorded tapes, that he’s actually telling the truth, because in the tapes, he doesn’t outright say, ‘OK. Well, this is our cover story.’”

  Prosecutors say tapes spell out a scheme by Carona to sell Haidl access to his office. They say he laundered illegal campaign contributions for Carona - and gave the former sheriff a thousand dollars a month in cash bribes.

  Closing arguments were supposed to end today - but the pace has been slow. They might last until tomorrow.

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  • January 7, 2009 2:46 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Leader of anti-Home Depot campaign celebrates victory

  A long battle between Home Depot and community activists in the San Fernando Valley is over. Home Depot is giving up on its plans to build a store in Sunland-Tujunga. The company blamed city regulations and the overall economy.

  Opponents objected to the store on the grounds that it would drive small hardware stores out of business and bring too much heavy truck traffic to the area. They want the site to be a pedestrian-friendly shopping center with such things as restaurants, bookstores, and theaters. Joe Barrett is chairman of the No on Home Depot Campaign.

  Joe Barrett: “If we don’t have the right development on that site, then we would have to live with the consequences for about two generations, and that’s how long Home Depot holds the lease to the property.

  “So, we felt, even if we have to get a vacant site for a while, that ultimately it’s better if we work towards getting the right type of development there.”

  Barrett spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” In giving up its plans for a Sunland-Tujunga store, Home Depot dropped a lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles.

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  • January 7, 2009 2:43 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Cal State instructors union releases report on budget cut consequences

  In a new report, the union that represents instructors at Cal State University campuses takes aim at Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s proposed budget cuts.

  Schwarzenegger’s proposed cutting millions of dollars from the state’s education system to help close a big budget gap. California Faculty Association president Lillian Taiz says that years of cuts have already created obstacles for low-income students in the Cal State system.

  Lillian Taiz: “They can’t get out in four years. They’re lucky to get out in six years. It could take longer. They’re going to go head-over-heels in debt, if they can figure out how to fill out the forms. Their library isn’t open as many hours as it should be.”

  The California Faculty Association’s report indicates that California ranks 49th of 50 states in educational attainment, the percentage of the adult population that holds at least a high school diploma.

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  • January 7, 2009 2:19 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education

• LA-bound plane passengers restrain man claiming to have bomb

  Passengers on a Los Angeles-bound Delta flight today subdued a man who claimed he was carrying a bomb, airline officials say. More on the story from KPCC’s Cheryl Devall.

  Cheryl Devall: Delta Flight 110 from Atlanta was approaching L.A. International Airport when one passenger allegedly said he had a bomb. As the jet taxied toward the gate, the man made a move for one of the doors. That’s when other passengers tackled him and restrained him with plastic ties.

  Because this happened on a commercial flight, it falls under federal jurisdiction, so the FBI’s investigating along with L.A. airport police. A search of the plane and the luggage aboard revealed that there was no bomb.

  None of the 271 passengers or the crew were hurt, and the scuffle did not interfere with other flights at the airport. Authorities detained the man for questioning after the incident.

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  • January 7, 2009 1:52 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Transportation

• Teachers union head: LAUSD layoffs would drive away district's future teachers

  The L.A. teachers union is reacting angrily to the possibility of large-scale teacher layoffs. The LAUSD says budget problems may force it to lay off more than 2,000 of its newer teachers this year. AJ Duffy is president of United Teachers Los Angeles.

  AJ Duffy: “These are the teachers of tomorrow, and if you get rid of them now, they are gone forever. They will not come back to this district. They will go to Florida. They will go to Illinois.They’ll go to any other place where they can get a job, or worse than that, they’ll go to another profession. What we are looking at here is the total devastation of public education in California, and that is a tragedy.”

  Duffy spoke on KPCC’s “AirTalk.” LAUSD says if it moves forward with the layoffs, 1700 elementary school teachers and 600 middle and high school math and English teachers would receive pink slips.

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  • January 7, 2009 1:35 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education, Politics/Public Affairs

• LAUSD's Chief Operating Officer: Newer teachers may be laid off

  The LAUSD’s Chief Operating Officer spoke on KPCC’s “AirTalk” today about the district’s financial troubles. Dave Holmquist said L.A. Unified may have no choice but to lay off more than 2,000 of its newer teachers this school year.

  Dave Holmquist: “Well, we certainly hope it doesn’t damage the profession of teaching. I mean, this is all budget driven. We aren’t doing this but for the fiscal crisis that we are in. I mean, certainly we don’t like to lay off teachers, and we don’t want to have to do it mid-year. Fortunately, we do have some out-of-classroom teachers, so while it will be a disruption to learning, we hope to minimize that if it becomes necessary to do so.”

  LAUSD says the state’s fiscal mess has blown a $250 million hole in the L.A. public school budget.

  The teachers who might receive mid-year pink slips have less than two years’ experience, meaning they have fewer job protections than teachers with more seniority.

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  • January 7, 2009 1:25 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education

• Closing arguments move along slowly in Carona corruption trial

  Closing arguments in the federal corruption trial of former Orange County Sheriff Mike Carona are slowly plodding along in Santa Ana. Defense attorneys are trying to punch holes into each of the 64 criminal allegations that make up the prosecution’s conspiracy charge. Carona is accused of taking thousands of dollars in illegal campaign contributions in exchange for doling out favors as sheriff.

  KPCC reporter Susan Valot is in the courtroom. She says the jury is hanging in there as the arguments drag on and on.

  Susan Valot: They’ve been sitting there for two months, listening to the testimony from dozens of witnesses from both sides. And now, they’ve sat through, since Tuesday, closing arguments.

  It was likely that they were supposed to have gotten the case today… and now, that’s not so clear. They may not get the case today after all. They may get it tomorrow.

  Defense attorney Jeff Rawitz told jurors that prosecutors charged Carona with “everything in the world” to get a conviction. The prosecution gets rebuttal time this afternoon.

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  • January 7, 2009 1:22 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• Republican Assemblyman DeVore says tax hikes unnecessary to balance budget

  The day after Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed another Democratic budget plan, Republican assemblyman Chuck DeVore insisted that the state can close its deficit without hiking taxes. He claims that California has more government than it can afford.

  Assemblyman Chuck DeVore: “You’d only have to go back to a budget four years ago, the budget of 2004-2005, and if we adopted that budget we’d be in balance. That’s how much government has grown. The budget four years ago was $78 billion. Now, were people dying in the streets four years ago? Were our children not being educated four years ago? Of course not.”

  DeVore spoke on KPCC’s AirTalk. Democratic state lawmakers tried for a second time to advance a spending plan that raised some taxes and cut other state spending. They’d hoped to approve it without any Republican support. State Republicans and anti-tax groups are suing over that budget strategy because they say it’s illegal.

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  • January 7, 2009 12:56 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Schwarzenegger spokesman says Democrats' spending cuts insufficient; budget stalemate continues

  The state budget is the focus of Governor Schwarzenegger’s press conference this afternoon. Yesterday, Schwarzenegger vetoed a Democratic budget proposal that included a mix of spending cuts and tax hikes. Democratic leaders suggest he bowed to pressure from anti-tax groups. The governor’s spokesman Aaron McLear denies that.

  Aaron McLear: “We’re not really sure what those comments refer to. The governor’s been very clear from the outgo that he needs to have economic stimulus to create jobs, and he needs to reduce government spending before he can support any proposal. The Democrats yesterday sent down same proposal they passed three weeks ago, which for a variety of reasons was unacceptable to the governor, and not good enough to for the state.”

  McLear told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that the Democrats’ spending cuts don’t go far enough. In response, Democrats say they couldn’t accept some of the governor’s economic stimulus proposals.

  Republicans have filed a lawsuit along with anti-tax groups against the Democratic budget proposal. They say it’s illegal because it raises taxes with only a simple majority vote of the legislature, not the two-thirds vote state law requires.

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  • January 7, 2009 12:27 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Democratic Senate leader Steinberg "perplexed" about budget stalemate

  The Democratic leader of the State Senate says he’s “perplexed” as to why Democrats have been unable to reach a budget agreement with Governor Schwarzenegger. Yesterday he vetoed the Democrats’ $18 billion budget plan.

  Senate President Pro-tem Darrell Steinberg maintained that Democrats had met the governor more than halfway on his proposals to stimulate the economy. But Steinberg told KPCC’s Larry Mantle that his party was unwilling to go all the way.

  Senator Darrell Steinberg: “What the governor wanted was a plan that allowed him and his reps to set aside any environmental permit if they deemed it to be an obstacle to expediting the transportation project. We believe that is simply bad public policy.”

  A spokesman for the governor says the Democratic proposal raised taxes but didn’t cut spending enough.

  Republicans and anti-tax groups have filed suit to stop the plan. They insist the plan is illegal because it would raise taxes without requiring a two-thirds vote.

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  • January 7, 2009 12:05 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Astronomers at Long Beach conference advocate for dark skies

  American astronomers launched a year long celebration of their science last night [TUE] in Long Beach. The International Year of Astronomy is meant to raise public awareness of astronomy, and of the importance of dark skies to the science.

  John Mason of the South Downs Planetarium in Chichester, England says Southern California’s bright lights aren’t too bright.

  John Mason: “Yesterday evening we went out, and there was Venus and Mercury and Jupiter placed across the ocean. So even though you’ve got a lot of light pollution in the cities, outside the cities it struck me that your air was actually clearer.”

  Mason’s one of about 2500 members of the American Astronomy Society at the academic conference. It continues through tomorrow.

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  • January 7, 2009 12:02 PM
  • Categories: Science/Technology

• Astronomers celebrate the skies at Long Beach conference

  Thousands of serious stargazers are in Long Beach this week for a conference of the American Association of Astronomers. This year’s the 400th anniversary of Galileo’s first use of the telescope and as a result, the International Year of Astronomy.

  Doug Isbell co-chairs the U.S. effort this year. He’s trying to interest more people in the science of the skies.

  Doug Isbell: “Astronomy is like every science, it’s based on evidence. It’s based on repeatable experiments. And the idea is that no one person knows everything, and we should go out and try to understand what we see in the natural world and test it out and try to make better measurements, and challenge ourselves and our theories, and figure out what’s our past and what’s our fate.”

  Isbell says American astronomers want to raise awareness of nighttime light pollution and distribute a low-cost telescope to kids, two of the International Year’s big goals.

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  • January 7, 2009 11:55 AM
  • Categories: Science/Technology

• Caltrans starts drilling for tunnel exploration for 710 freeway expansion

  Southern California Caltrans officials expect it’ll take two years to complete a soil study for the 710 freeway expansion project. KPCC’s Patricia Nazario checked in with an excavation team today as they worked on what could be the longest underground passage in the country.

  Patricia Nazario: The exploration team collected soil samples in Alhambra, right above where the 710 freeway ends. It’s one of five zones Caltrans plans to explore.

  Caltrans district director Douglas Failing says another option is building a tunnel to the 210 Freeway and right under homes in South Pasadena.

  Douglas Failing: “They recognize the importance of transportation in the corridor. Certainly, they have their desires that it not impact them. But I think they recognize the advantage that a tunnel may have in not having impacts in their communities.”

  Nazario: Failing believes a tunnel would mitigate many environmental concerns, although those studies are still years away. If the project gets the green light, it could be as long as 10 miles, and as deep as 300 feet below street level. It wouldn’t open to cars for another seven years. Caltrans expects its exploration phase to last two years.

  Residents can get information and get involved in the process through upcoming public meetings.

  More information: 710tunnelstudy.info

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  • January 6, 2009 6:53 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Riverside County passes restrictions on public protesting in residential neighborhoods

  Riverside County supervisors today unanimously approved an ordinance to limits protests outside a private residence. The action was inspired by a recent demonstration that targeted a secluded Church of Scientology complex near Hemet. KPCC’s Steven Cuevas has more.

  Steven Cuevas: Activists held the protest last October outside a gated Scientology compound called “Golden Era Productions.” Security guards were seen on video roughing up a protestor after he walked onto edge of the property.

  Critics claim the facility is an interrogation center for recalcitrant Scientology members. Scientology officials insist it’s just the Church’s media production wing, though some Scientologists do live there. They say the occasional protests infringe on their right to privacy.

  Riverside County supervisors approved the measure as an “urgency” ordinance, so it’ll take effect immediately. It bars protestors from getting within 50 feet of a targeted residence’s property line. That would make public demonstrations near the Scientology compound nearly impossible. The main road that leads to it is surrounded on both sides by church-owned land. The church now says it’ll allow protests inside a designated area outside the compound’s front gates.

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  • January 6, 2009 6:02 PM
  • Categories: Politics/Public Affairs, Religion/Spirituality

• LAUSD superintendent warns of likely layoffs in face of deficit

  The L.A. Unified School District’s new superintendent Ray Cortines sent a letter today to district employees. In it, he warns of possible layoffs.

  At a news conference this afternoon, Cortines said his immediate goals are to address a $250 million budget shortfall for this school year, and to begin planning for even bigger deficits in the next two years. Cortines said the school district could lose a lot of its newer teachers.

  Ray Cortines: “If I’m a third grade teacher, and I’ve been around for 50 years, I’m not gonna lose my third grade job. But the teacher next door to me, this little young whippersnap that I’ve been mentoring and helping, this teacher is going. So it creates a morale problem within a school.”

  Cortines said 2,000 to 4,000 district employees, not only teachers, could lose their jobs. The L.A. Unified Board of Education must approve any personnel cuts.

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  • January 6, 2009 5:41 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Education

• Groups sue to block California Democrats' tax plan

  Anti-tax groups and dozens of Republican lawmakers are suing to block a plan Democrats passed last month to raise taxes. The package passed without Republican support or a two-thirds legislative vote. The coalition says that makes it illegal.

  Jon Coupal of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association says the Democrats’ move would set a dangerous precedent if it’s allowed to stand:

  Jon Coupal: “What the legislative majority has attempted is clearly a change in state law for the purpose of changing revenue, and we are confident that the courts will agree with us.”

  Coupal says the group filed the legal challenge today in California’s Third District Court of Appeals. The governor has threatened to veto the plan anyway, so it may never become law.

  Democrats say their plan is legal because it cuts and raises equal amounts of taxes. They also say they voted to increase other fees – not taxes – that don’t require a two-thirds vote.

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  • January 6, 2009 5:33 PM
  • Categories: Business/Economy, Politics/Public Affairs

• Caltrans starts drilling in South Pasadena tunnel exploration

  State transportation officials hope that building a tunnel under South Pasadena will ease that city’s resistance to the 710 Freeway extension project.

  Caltrans district director Douglas Failing says the exploration team that started drilling today is looking for routes engineers should avoid, including seismic faults.

  Douglas Failing: “Many of our borings will be straight up and down, just looking at the rock that we go through. But if we find an interesting area, and we’ve picked a couple out already, we’ll drill at an angle, so we can cut across a series of different soil types and see how they lay and see how they interact.”

  People in South Pasadena have long opposed a street-level plan that would run a concrete divider through their neighborhood. Caltrans’ Failing says his agency is trying to accommodate those concerns by exploring five different zones for the tunnel that would connect the 710 and 210 Freeways.

  Caltrans expects the exploration phase to last two years.

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  • January 6, 2009 5:29 PM
  • Categories: Transportation

• Assemblyman Feuer proposes harsher drunk driving penalties

  A Southland state lawmaker wants to test a program that would inflict harsher penalties on drunk drivers. Assemblyman Mike Feuer has introduced a bill that would require anyone who’s been convicted of a drunk driving offense to install a breath analysis device in his or her vehicle. Feuer says the technology will help prevent deaths.

  Mike Feuer: “It works because this puts the driver in the habit of driving in sober condition. We’re trying to reduce the rate of recidivism in California among drunk drivers.”

  The devices are like a breathalyzer that links into a car’s ignition system. A driver blows into it. The car won’t start unless the driver’s alcohol level is below the legal limit of 0.08. Courts maintain discretion over whether or not to require the devices.

  Feuer’s bill would create a pilot project for the new penalty in four California counties. The California Highway Patrol reports that during the holidays its officers arrested almost 3,000 people for driving under the influence.

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  • January 6, 2009 4:42 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Politics/Public Affairs, Transportation

• Lawyers say Veolia knew about Metrolink engineer's texting

  The company that operates Metrolink trains knew about the cell phone habits of the engineer involved in the Chatsworth crash – before it happened. That’s the claim of attorneys for more than a dozen victims of the crash. More on the story from KPCC’s Nick Roman.

  Nick Roman: Attorney Ed Pfiester says his investigation has revealed that some months before the crash last September, Veolia – the operator of Metrolink trains – conducted a field test and found out that Engineer Robert Sanchez used his cell phone while working.

  Ed Pfiester: It’s been against the written rules of Metrolink for a long long time. They busted him for it, but they didn’t really do anything about it.

  Roman: Then, two weeks before the crash, says Pfeister, one of Sanchez’ fellow employees called upper management to say that something had to be done about the engineer’s cell phone habits. Pfiester says an employee even complained about Sanchez and Veolia’s lack of action within three hours of the accident.

  Pfiester: The employee was frustrated. ‘What can I do? What can we do? Somebody’s gonna get hurt badly.’

  Roman: Attorney Ed Pfiester says the company’s inaction opens the door to punitive damages in a lawsuit. A spokeswoman for Veolia said the company enforces strict cell phone policies. Engineer Robert Sanchez was killed in the crash.

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  • January 6, 2009 4:28 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice, Transportation

• Univision and Televisa battle over ad revenues

  Two media companies that serve the Southland’s large Spanish-speaking audience are preparing to duke it out in court. Televisa is the Mexican producer of the soap operas that anchor TV network Univision’s prime time.

  It’s claiming that the Spanish-language network cut some Televisa programs out of a deal to share advertising revenue. Media consultant Julio Rumbaut explained the premise of the court battle to KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.”

  Julio Rumbaut: “Televisa feels that it has very, very relevant content and very very compelling content for the U.S. Hispanic market. I think Televisa has tried to find a way to break the contract or be susceptive to by looking at a breach issue.”

  A jury was seated today in the $118 million breach-of-contract case. It’s playing out in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles.

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  • January 6, 2009 4:15 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Business/Economy, Criminal Justice

• Closing arguments nearly finished in Carona corruption trial

  The federal corruption trial of former Orange County sheriff Mike Carona is in the home stretch. Jurors in Santa Ana today heard prosecutors summarize their case that Carona sold favors as Sheriff. The keys to their case are recording of Carona backed by testimony from Carona’s longtime political backer Don Haidl.

  KPCC’s Susan Valot says the judge gave jurors a guide to follow when weighing evidence.

  Susan Valot: “The judge told the jury that you may believe everything a witness says, or part of it, or none of it. And that is important because the main prosecution witness is former assistant sheriff Don Haidl, who secretly recorded conversations with Carona. And if you look at Haidl himself, he recorded these conversations as part of a plea deal.”

  Prosecutors say Haidl paid out $420,000 to Carona and others to buy influence within the Sheriff’s Department. Prosecutor Ken Julian says Carona took the money because he got a “taste of wealth” - and liked it. But the former sheriff’s defense team says Haidl sold his testimony for a lighter sentence after pleading guilty to corruption charges of his own.

  The defense began its final arguments today – and expects to finish by noon tomorrow.

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  • January 6, 2009 3:57 PM
  • Categories: Criminal Justice

• New TV energy efficiency rules to take effect

  It’s pretty easy to find energy-efficiency labels on refrigerators, microwaves, and computers. But not so much on TVs. Art Rosenfeld is a member of the California Energy Commission. Now that wide-screen plasma and LCD televisions are so popular, he said, the state should require stores to sell only the most efficient models.

  Art Rosenfeld: “TVs are the fastest-growing consumer of electricity in your house and it’s time to put labels and standards on them.”

  Rosenfeld spoke with KPCC’s “Patt Morrison.” Doug Johnson, who directs technology policy for the Consumer Electronics Association, told Patt that his organization objects to mandatory efficiency rules.

  Doug Johnson: “Convergence, innovation, and transition from analog to digital have driven a lot of energy savings in our industries, but the California Energy Commission is really viewing the whole situation through regulatory lenses. And that’s not really the way to look at the electronics sector.”

  Johnson argued that market-oriented, voluntary, and consumer-focused programs like Energy Star are more effective ways to promote energy efficiency. California’s new rules would go into effect a couple of years from now.

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  • January 6, 2009 3:52 PM
  • Categories: Arts, Environment, Politics/Public Affairs

• Orthodox Christians observe Christmas Wednesday

  Christmas greetings! Your calendar is on the right page. For many Orthodox Christians in the Southland and across the country, this is Christmas Eve. KPCC’s Cheryl Devall says that’s because liturgical calendars vary.

  Cheryl Devall: The Armenian, Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian, Coptic, and Ethiopian Orthodox churches observe Christmas on December 25th - by the Julian calendar that’s 13 days behind the more widely-used Gregorian calendar. That places Orthodox Christmas on January 7th. Special worship services and family celebrations take place in churches that serve about 40,000 faithful in the Southland.

  Having Christmas around the same time many people mark the Epiphany - the visit to the infant Jesus from three wise men - isn’t easy. Many Orthodox believers can’t get time off from work, or - like adherents to other religions - they chafe at the overwhelming cultural emphasis on Christmas in late December. The Greek Orthodox Church - the largest of the branches in this country - addressed the matter more than 80 years ago by shifting its Christmas to December 25th – on the Gregorian calendar.

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  • January 6, 2009 3:43 PM
  • Categories: Religion/Spirituality

• LA County Board of Supervi