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BlogScan

    Calitics: Carly Failorina Strikes Again: This Time With Demonblimp!
    At the California Republican Party convention in Santa Clara today, failed CEO Carly Fiorina launched another of her campaign's ridiculous and, in this case, even offensive web video ads. This one portrays Barbara Boxer as a blimp (because she's "full of hot air - get it?!") terrorizing California from above. The ad reaches new lows in both the pathetic and the bizarre. It is also deeply self-contradictory and a classic case of projection. In the ad, Fiorina argues that Boxer is a "failure" because she's only had 3 bills passed in 18 years. What isn't stated is that for most of that time, Boxer served under either a Republican Senate (1995 to 2007) or a Republican president (2001 to 2009). Only in her first two years in the Senate, 1993 and 1994, and this last year, 2009, did she serve with a Democratic Congressional majority AND a Democratic president. While there, Boxer is poised to deliver health care reform and climate change legislation. Apparently Fiorina thi
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 04:11 PM)
    Hogue News: The First 24 Hours at The GOP Convention
    Some observations from the first full day at the California Republican Convention in Santa Clara. Meg Whitman and the press have made-up and become friends. I was more than honored to moderate the 'fire side chat' between Governor Mitt Romney and Meg Whitman at the close of the first evening's festivities. I was also witness to two eMeg press conferences. Plus video from Carly Fiorina's "rock star" arrival on Saturday afternoon, Meg's new TV Channel that takes after Steve Poizner 24/7, all weekend long in each hotel room. Finally, Tom Campbell offers another apology surounding Sami Al-Arian and his letter in defending him in 2002.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 04:09 PM)
    California City News: Part 2: The Green Scene—RDAs Perfect ‘Green’ Vehicle for Environmental Legislation?
    (If you missed part 1, then you can view it here)In part one of our feature on creating 'Green' Redevelopment Agencies in order to leverage the nexus that could productively exist between realizing green legislation and RDAs, we covered why the status quo was bound to be unproductive and that the positions and expertise of RDAs could successfully accomplish the goals of environmental legislation. On the topic of making this green path a reality, Kosmont suggests that in order for California to meet its needs, Redevelopment Law should be modified to broaden its scope and include activities that promote sustainable development. In order to ensure that green objectives are adopted, it may be important to stipulate that agencies who comply can have their term limits extended, that redevelopment agencies can expand to assume the role of sustainability agencies that lead, promote and monitor green developments and that sustainability indicators could be created to hold agencies accountable.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 09:18 AM)
    Calitics: Meg Whitman's Plan To Make A Bigger Budget Deficit
    Just as Meg Whitman's "solution" to the unemployment crisis in California is to eliminate tens of thousands of jobs, her plans for the state budget crisis appear to center on making that deficit bigger. At yesterday's California Republican Party convention in Santa Clara, eMeg finally talked to the press. But what was more relevant than the fact that she talked to them was what she said. As KQED's John Myers tweeted: #CAgov candidate Whitman says in an interview that her "targeted" tax cuts would cost the #cabudget approx. $4 billion Myers added that it sounded like an annual number, which shows just how reckless Whitman plans to be with state finances. At a time when California faces an annual $20 billion deficit for at least the next 3 years, it is absurd to be talking about blowing a bigger hole in state finances with a tax cut for the rich. But Whitman doubled down on that reckless pledge, telling CRP attendees last night that she endorsed eliminating the capita
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 09:14 AM)
    Hogue News: VIDEO: “Watch” GOP Senatorial Debate
    People listen to talk radio everyday, but to watch talk radio is a whole new world. HOGUE NEWS has added a quality presentation of the March 5th GOP Senatorial debate. You can watch talk radio and two of the three candidates (Carly Fiorina was on the phone) fight it out for an hour. Simply click onto the GOP Senatorial Debate link at the top of the HOGUE NEWS page and allow the video to load (short time) and you have a seat in the studios of 1380 KTKZ for the great debate. With a studio full of media, and three very ripe senatorial candidates ready to have at it over national security, defense and foreign affairs, the 1380 KTKZ studio was the source for the first California GOP U. S. Senatorial Debate.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 08:04 AM)
    California City News: Weather the Storm: Conference to Address Environmental Legislation
    The implementation of environmental laws AB32 AB32 and MS4 (Storm Water Permits) is a hot topic that will affect businesses, cities and counties all across the state. In order to address the somewhat overwhelming task presented by these laws and regulations, the organization Housing Opportunities Made Easier (HOME) is holding a conference in Ventura called “The Perfect Storm: AB32 AB32& MS4” that will take place at the Ventura County Office of Education Conference Center on March 19th from 7:30 a.m. to noon. The agenda will not only address the ways it will change business conduct, impacts on housing, and quality of life but also their implementation on a law-by-law basis and their conflicting impacts. A series of panelists will speak and answer questions, so if you’re in the LA/Ventura/Santa Barbara county areas and are interested in attending, you can register here.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 08:02 AM)
    California City News: Pension Funds Poorly Navigate Real Estate Market and Incur Further Losses
    It was recently revealed that both CalPERS and CalSTRS, California’s two big public pension funds, suffered some very big losses from bad real estate investments, proving that the real estate market has proven especially difficult for the funds to navigate when it comes to preventing the huge losses both portfolios have already incurred. Consequently, the state and local government entities that rely on CalPERS and CalSTRS pensions will face even more pressure as real estate troubles deplete funding. Case in point, the Sacramento Bee reports that CalPERS is set to lose $91 million from a Boston investment that involved a massive condo-office complex. As for CalSTRS, a building in New York that it co-owns is about to go into default, so the pension fund will probably lose its share of a $75 million investment. The Bee summarized their portfolios as follows: “CalPERS' real estate portfolio lost 47 percent of its value in a year's time and was valued at $13.7 billion at t
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 07:30 AM)
    California City News: Sacramento Council Wants to Weed Out Weed Suppliers in Proposed Ordinance
    Sacramento officials may “weed” out the number of pot dispensaries in order to limit the number to 12 within the city, as well as impose stricter regulations on the operations of such dispensaries. Discussion of this plan resulted in marijuana advocates and pot shop owners showing up in droves to a meeting on the topic in order to voice opposition to a course of action that City Manager Gus Vina called “an emotional issue,” according to the Bee. Medical marijuana advocates also protested what they saw as the potential plan’s reversal of Proposition 215, the medical marijuana law, and some representatives for the city’s 39 dispensaries threatened lawsuits against the city if such a plan is approved by the City Council.Since the plan would only allow for 12 pot dispensaries to maintain operations, which of the 39 current businesses could remain open is a point of contention, as many feel it would be unfair to resort to a lottery to deter
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 06:13 AM)
    LA Observed: NPR's Anne Garrels to leave the building
    By the time Anne Garrels gets to town to pick up her Daniel Pearl Award from the L.A. Press Club in June, she will be nearly three months into her next life. A memo from the National Public Radio foreign desk says Garrels is leaving the staff to go home to Connecticut. Fr: Loren Jenkins, Supervising Senior Editor, NPR Foreign Desk Re: Anne Garrels to Become NPR Contributor NPR's foreign desk would like to announce that after 23 years of groundbreaking reporting for NPR around the world, Senior Foreign Correspondent Anne Garrels has decided to hang up her spurs at the end of this month. Hers has been one of NPR's signature on-air voices since she first joined public radio in 1988, after stints in TV for NBC and ABC News. She has served NPR with distinction as a diplomatic correspondent, a Moscow bureau chief and, for the past decade or so, as a roving correspondent covering conflicts and wars from Chechnya to Beirut, from Kabul to Baghdad, with stops in Bosnia, Kosovo, and
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 12:55 AM)
    LA Observed: Friday desk-clearing: Return to PDT edition
    Councilman Richard Alarcon reported another encounter with the mentally ill intruder who breaks into and squats in the councilman's district home in Panorama City. LAT, DN Mickey Kaus carried through on his threat to file to run in the primary against Sen. Barbara Boxer. CalArts faculty member, Black Clock editor and Los Angeles Magazine columnist Steve Erickson won the $7,500 American Academy of Arts and Letters award in literature. L.A. Times editorial writer Robert Greene won the Walker Stone Award for “outstanding achievement in editorial writing” from the Scripps Howard Foundation. LAT Sports editor: "We simply can no longer cover everything the way we once did." David Lazarus: "What? Another Time Warner Cable rate hike?" LAFD tweet o' the day: "If your news desk needs help finding L.A. Police Department districts: Link (rather than call the *Fire* Dept.)" HuffPo citizen journalist Mayhill Fowler has
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 04:00 PM)
    LA Observed: Sign of the (L.A.) Times
    It's come to this. The Los Angeles Times website seems now to think the Silver Lake section of L.A. is a city unto itself. Misquoting an item from The Eastsider L.A., which gets it right, an entry today on the Times' L.A. Now blog says: Leaf blower drama: A 1998 Silver Lake ordinance bans the use of gas leaf blowers near homes, but some residents are complaining that the loud contraptions are making a resurgence. Of course, the leaf blower law is a City of Los Angeles ordinance — Silver Lake is no more able to pass a law than the corner of Vanowen and DeSoto. The leaf blower ban was pretty controversial in its day. There are clips galore about it in the Times' archives. It's not neccesarily the Times' blogger's fault: Anthony Pesce was editor of the Daily Bruin at UCLA just last year. It's his editors who threw him into the fire, and who apparently haven't noticed the error all day. So here's the ironic part: the blogger whose accurate post was misinterpreted, J
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 04:00 PM)
    LA Observed: LA Observed on KCRW: Whale of a story
    Today's LA Observed piece during "All Things Considered" on KCRW talks about the L.A. story of this week that had a little of everything. That would be Jennifer Steinhauer's New York Times front-pager on the sting that nabbed The Hump in Santa Monica for serving whale sushi. My commentary airs at 4:44 p.m. on KCRW, and thereafter can be downloaded at KCRW.com or iTunes. Prefer text? My script is after the jump. Some relevant links: Media swarm The Hump over whale meat Heal the Bay vs. the Hump Jonathan Gold gets a plea from his brother This is Kevin Roderick with LA Observed for KCRW. Hands down, there was one story in the local news this week that had every quality the LA media adores. It had crime. That’s always important, especially for TV. A Hollywood angle. That’s good too. Real good. Politics, that’ll work, as long as it’s not boring or about a difficult issue, like health care. Food – there’s noth
    . . . [more] (posted 03/13/10 04:00 PM)
    Political Blotter: When both sides declare victory
    A Sacramento County Superior Court judge ordered some changes in the ballot arguments, but none in the title and summary, for Proposition 17, an insurance-company-backed ballot measure that would change rules for auto insurance, the Los Angeles Times reports. As a political reporter, I’m used to hearing a lot of spin, but the dueling news releases [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 09:43 PM)
    California Majority Report: CAMPAIGN MEMO FROM ROBIN SWANSON, COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR THE CHRIS KELLY FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL CAMPAIGN
    RE: AIN’T NO SUNSHINE WHEN SHE’S DISTRICT ATTORNEY This week the San Francisco Bay Guardian ran a piece “Some teeth for the sunshine law” urging the city’s elected leaders to start enforcing the law passed by the city’s residents to require prompt and open disclosure of public records. But as the Guardian points out – the city’s leaders, including District Attorney Kamala Harris, have failed to enforce the law. < > That’s consistent with what we’ve learned here at the Chris Kelly for Attorney General Campaign. Through our own repeated public record requests, Harris has demonstrated that she not only fails to enforce the Sunshine Law, but she even refuses to abide by the spirit of the Sunshine Law h
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 06:54 PM)
    Greg Lucas's California Capitol: Changes Ordered in Description of Open Primary Proposition
    In a response to a lawsuit brought by the California School Employees Association, a Sacramento Superior Court judge has modified the ballot description of Proposition 14 on the June ballot, an initiative that would create a so-called open primary. Supporters of the measure, which would have the top two primary vote getters regardless of party affiliation [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 04:42 PM)
    Political Blotter: PG&E executives ante up for Jerry Brown
    California Attorney General Jerry Brown’s gubernatorial campaign received a bunch of contributions Wednesday totaling more than $23,500 from PG&E’s upper management: Chairman & CEO Peter Darbee — $10,000 President Christopher Johns — $1,000 Senior Vice President & General Counsel Hyun Park — $2,500 Senior Vice President & Chief Operating Officer John Keenan – $1,500 Senior Vice President & Chief [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 03:32 PM)
    Political Blotter: CD11: Manteca teacher drops out
    Manteca teacher Jeff Takada has dropped out of the Republican primary for the 11th Congressional District, citing lack of money. That leaves David Harmer, Brad Goehring, Elizabeth Emken, Robert Beadles and Tony Amador expected to finalize their paperwork today. Here’s what Takada had to say: Despite the outpouring of support from voters around the district for my Congressional [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 03:08 PM)
    Political Blotter: Previewing the state GOP convention
    Lisa was part of a great panel discussion about the state GOP convention and candidates this morning on KQED-FM’s “Forum” program: And I’ll be discussing similar things on KQED Channel 9’s “This Week in Northern California” at 8 p.m. tonight.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 01:53 PM)
    LA Observed: Shuttle service to Dodger Stadium is back
    A $300,000 grant from the South Coast Air Quality Management District will pay for free shuttle buses this season between the stadium and Union Station, Zach Behrens says at LAist. The service was cancelled last season when neither the city nor the Dodgers wanted to pay for it. Buses will run every 10 minutes before games, every 30 minutes or so during games, and as needed for 45 minutes after games. Edited post
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 12:33 PM)
    Calitics: California Is Not Greece
    Carly Fiorina thinks California should file bankruptcy (Earth to Carly: the state can't). And many right-wingers have argued that California has to reduce its level of spending, adopting austerity budgets to avoid the kind of financial problems faced by Greece. Along with other Mediterranean countries, Greece has been pushed to adopt austerity budgets that threaten a European-wide severe recession in order to satisfy bond markets that worry about the level of debt to GDP. California faces no such problem. That was proved once again yesterday when a sale of California bonds went extremely well - Treasurer Bill Lockyer was able to sell $500 million more in bonds than originally anticipated, and at lower interest rates: The tax-free general-obligation bonds, which will fund voter-approved infrastructure projects, attracted orders totaling $1.38 billion from individual investors Tuesday and Wednesday. With just $620 million of the original $2-billion deal left, the state took in $3.3 billi
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 11:48 AM)
    Political Blotter: Campaign update: Gov, AG, Senate and more
    Rolling into this weekend’s California Republican Party convention, it seemed this was a much better week for Steve Poizner than for Meg Whitman in the Republican gubernatorial primary. He got endorsements from the California Republican Assembly and conservative mainstay Congressmen Tom McClintock and Dana Rohrabacher; she got bogged down in bad press over refusing to [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 10:31 AM)
    LA Observed: Couple of investigative reporter jobs are open
    California Watch is looking to hire two experienced investigative reporters to cover the environment and public safety. In addition to at least five years doing the job, the unit is looking for "a proven track record of delivering high-quality investigative and enterprise reporting projects." The successful candidate will be expected to balance a steady diet of quick-hit and longer-term investigative and high-impact enterprise stories and will be expected to file blog posts on a daily basis. We are looking for a reporter who knows and understands issues facing California and who can generate stories of statewide significance and reach. Strong writing skills are required for this job, which mixes many of the traditional job requirements of investigative reporting but also mandates that the successful candidate be an innovative thinker and someone who embraces the use of social media and new technology. March 29 is the deadline to apply.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 10:22 AM)
    LA Observed: Will Los Angeles go broke?
    CNBC's Jane Wells talks to Mayor Villaraigosa and author Joel Kotkin about the city's self-inflicted budget crisis and whether Los Angeles should, perhaps, go bankrupt. Villaraigosa vows there is no scenario in which the city goes bankrupt.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 10:15 AM)
    LA Observed: SkyTag offers to save the Hollywood sign view
    There's a catch. The firm that has placed supergraphics all over town says it will pay millions to preserve the biggest advertising supergraphic of them all, the iconic Hollywood sign, by buying up land at the top of Beachwood Canyon. All it wants is City Hall approval for 20 of its disputed signs. City officials aren't inclined to accept the deal, says David Zahniser.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 10:10 AM)
    California City News: Absence Makes the Votes Grow Fonder for LA Council Members
    If a city council member were to be consistently absent from roll calls and the chamber and as a result had a less-than-stellar voting record, then public awareness would probably make such behavior a political liability. But if a council member can rely on the chamber’s voting software so that they never miss a vote, as it can automatically register a ‘yes’ vote if a ‘no’ button is not deliberately pushed, then they could be in two places at once. The LA Times reveals it is in fact very common for L.A. council members to be gone from public view while their votes are being recorded so that they can accommodate their busy schedules with more back-room meetings, interviews, and calls. The Times found that about half of the council held private meetings while public sessions were taking place. Take Councilman Richard Alarcon, who the Times points out uses such software to his schedule’s advantage:“On the City Council, [&brv
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 10:08 AM)
    LA Observed: Morning Buzz: Friday 3.12.10
    City Hall spending, Villaraigosa delays, Whitman stages, a new candidate runs for assessor and a local politics obituary. Plus more, all after the jump. Mayor Villaraigosa and Controller Wendy Greuel ordered a spending freeze that affects city departments and restricts purchases, travel and other payouts. LAT, DN, LAist Villaraigosa has delayed the press conference to propose his new environmental surcharge on DWP bills, saying more time is needed to check numbers. LAT, DN A funny thing happened when Meg Whitman's campaign filmed a 30-minute infomercial Wednesday night in Orange County, "besides stuff like covert filming by her opponents, cops being called, crowd screening and Meg goosing the audience for applause." SFGatePlus: Whitman and Steve Poizner both are using books to push their campaigns. Sacto Bee Jose Cornejo, the chief deputy to Councilman Tony Cardenas, announced Thursday he will get into the race for county Assessor, for the seat being vac
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 10:00 AM)
    California Majority Report: A Tale of Two Initiatives: Why the System Needs Reform. Now.
    Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present Exhibits A and B as evidence of why California’s initiative system is broken.< > < > Exhibit A: The Part-time Legislature Initiative. This initiative, drafted by Sacramento Republican attorney Tom Hiltachk, was the brainchild of a Sacramento political consultant. The consultants created an Astroturf political group, “Citizens for California Reform,” and named a failed GOP Assembly candidate as its director. Then it created a website and Facebook page, and began circulating an initiative in Republican circles and on the web calling for a part-time legislature. Thinking it would fare well at a time when the legislature’s approval rating was under 20 percent, they were stunned when private and PPIC polls showed that it was grossly unpopular. The poor poll results scared off potential funders, including Steve Poizner. (Poizner, who’d spent millions defeating term limits reform
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 09:52 AM)
    Calitics: Florez Exits LG Race
    With the entry of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dean Florez has become something of a long shot. And so, today, he announced that he's stepping out of the race. I wanted to share with you, first hand, some news regarding my campaign for California's Lieutenant Governor. First, let me express my deepest gratitude for your support, words of encouragement and friendship throughout this very challenging effort. As an African proverb says, "when the music changes, so must the dance." Well, the music has changed, and sadly so has the dance. As of today, I am concluding my campaign for Lieutenant Governor and my name will not appear on the ballot this June. While it hurts to undo so much hard work, I'm not embittered about this predicament. I am pragmatic enough to recognize that politics is unpredictable. As much as I want to be Lieutenant Governor, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's entry into this contest has dramatically altered the dynamics of the
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 09:30 AM)
    Calitics: Petition to Kill California's Anti-Pollution Legislation Off to a Rocky, Slimy Start
    So it's been over a week since Texas oil refiners (and two of California's worst polluters) Valero and Tesoro ponied up close to $2 million to launch a petition drive to get an initiative on the November ballot to kill AB32 California's nation-leading legislation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels and encourage job creation in the booming green/clean energy and tech industries. Naturally, Valero, Tesoro and assemblyman Dan Logue (R-Chino), one of the initiative's primary sponsors, are doing their best to keep Texas Big Oil's involvement in the petition a secret, refusing to confirm or deny that Valero/Tesoro are actually the sole funders of the signature drive and stand to profit from insuring that Californians continue to breath some of the dirtiest, most unhealthy air in the nation. Unfortunately for them, the secret is out. Supporters of AB32 the environment and clean energy started a website, NoOnValero.com, to let Californians know that the effort to kill AB32
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 09:24 AM)
    Calitics: It's Not Easy Being Rich
    It really must be very hard to be as wealthy as Meg Whitman. You have to hire all these people to look after your money, and your life. And then you have to spend $150 million to become governor to shock doctrine the state. I mean, certainly, that's part of the deal, right? Well, for Meg Whitman, as the saying goes, mo' money, mo' problems: Billionaire GOP gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman has invested her vast wealth in firms that sought to profit from the country's credit crisis, in venture capital and hedge funds open only to the wealthy, and in oil, gas, healthcare and other concerns seeking to influence state policy. The first public glimpse into the financial portfolio of the former EBay chief came Thursday, when she filed an economic-interest disclosure required of candidates. The holdings present potential conflicts of interest for a governor. Whitman spokeswoman Sarah Pompei said the candidate would "likely" move her holdings into a blind trust if she is victorious
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 08:25 AM)
    LA Observed: Blogger endings and beginnings
    A year ago, Bob Timmermann began reading, and blogging about, the biographies of every U.S. president in the American Presidents Series, published by Times Books. "A man needs a goal in life," he posted at One Through Forty-Two or Forty-Three. "Even better, a man needs a relatively easily achievable goal." His posts were keenly observed, quirky and readable, qualities I've admired in his late baseball blog, The Griddle, and in guest appearances at other blogs around town. Timmermann recently wrapped his tour of the presidents with a piece on Ronald Reagan, pegged to a book by the late historian of Los Angeles Jules Tygiel. The end of OTF-TOF-T meant Timmermann was a free agent, blog-wise. With baseball season approaching, he agreed to be the newest contributor to LA Observed. If we're all lucky, he'll post on anything that interests him, including some baseball. He's more likely to write about Japanese stadia, obscure players from Los Angeles and the catch
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 04:00 PM)
    LA Observed: Gavin Newsom in the race, LAT says *
    San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is telling supporters that he will announce Friday he is running for lieutenant governor, Capitol Weekly editor Anthony York reports on the L.A. Times website. "He has called elected officials and potential donors to inform them he is in the race," the item says. Newsom represents a significant obstacle to Councilwoman Janice Hahn's plans, which of course explains those hits on him by her campaign consultants. * Friday morning update: The San Francisco Chronicle concurs that Newsom is running and quotes USF professor saying, "He's instantly the front-runner in the Democratic primary. The Hahn name has long been a gold mine in Los Angeles politics ... but he swamps her in name recognition statewide." Re-Speaker Perez: Speaker John Perez will throw a second, ceremonial swearing-in on Friday at the Japanese National American Museum, 11 days after the real one. Attendance will be taken.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 04:00 PM)
    LA Observed: Ex-Times reporters launch investigative unit
    Myron Levin and Joanna Lin's nonprofit FairWarning.org plans to investigate issues involving safety, health and corporate conduct. "The hope is to provide stories of vital public interest that are overlooked or under-reported in most media," says Levin, 61, who took a 2008 buyout from the L.A. Times after 23 years. He says the Sherman Oaks-based operation has $250,000 in funding the first year, from donors such as the Ethics and Excellence Journalism Foundation and the Charles Evans Foundation. Media Matters via Romenesko Levin, by the way, was one of the plaintiffs in the class-action federal lawsuit against Sam Zell by current and past journalists at the Times. Levin left the Times with a strongly worded message for the paper's owners.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 04:00 PM)
    LA Observed: New music editor for LA Weekly
    Gustavo Turner was introduced today as the music editor of the LA Weekly, replacing Randall Roberts, who moved to the Los Angeles Times. He's been writing for the Weekly since last year, has Berkeley and Harvard in his past, and can translate in Spanish. More resume in the following memo from editor Drex Heikes, who says "expect the music section of the LA Weekly to embrace the fertile eclecticism of our town." Memo after the jump. Colleagues, I'm pleased to announce that we have hired Gustavo Turner as our new music editor. Gustavo has written about music for several years for The Believer, McSweeney's, the Boston Phoenix and other publications. He began writing for the Weekly last year, turning out reviews, features and blog posts for West Coast Sound. He also writes our weekly music newsletter, which we began distributing to email subscribers last fall. Gustavo is a passionate observer of the LA music scene and is fascinated by its endless variety,
    . . . [more] (posted 03/12/10 04:00 PM)
    Calitics: March 11 Open Thread
    Links: * The election to replace Mike Duvall with Chris Norby cost Orange County $1.635 million. Asm. Van Tran is trying to get the state to reimburse OC. Given the way this all was handled, somebody sent out this information. Perhaps Chris Norby should pay the money to Orange County. * Meg Whitman will be dodging the media once again. This time, it's at the CRP Convention. As a reminder, last time, she tried to explain her voting record. That worked out well. * The reform ideas that Speaker Perez wants to pass? They're pretty much DOA in the Legislature. * No word yet on whether Dean Florez will be running for Lt. Gov..
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 07:00 PM)
    Greg Lucas's California Capitol: More Information About the ‘We Like Women’ Party Platform
    (Editor’s Note: There has been an unprecedented clamor by California’s Capitol viewers to learn more about the We Like Women political party, which is attempting to qualify for a place on California’s ballot and was the subject of a March 10 post. While the same can’t be said of the chief correspondent of California’s Capitol, [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 06:02 PM)
    Political Blotter: Whitman stages townhall rally
    Steve Poizner’s campaign came up with yet more boffo video of Meg Whitman — this time staging a townhall meeting Wednesday night in Orange County, apparently for a future campaign ad. A Poizner plant with a video flip cam captured Whitman asking the crowd for applause — “lots of cheering would be good,” she implored — [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 05:17 PM)
    Calitics: I Guess Gavin Newsom Doesn't Think Lt-Gov Is So Bad After All
    Ending weeks of speculation, Gavin Newsom is going to announce his campaign for Lt. Governor tomorrow: San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom will announce Friday that he is running for lieutenant governor, people who have been contacted by him say.... Newsom has formed a fundraising committee for the run, and the first checks for his new statewide bid were reported Thursday. He reported receiving nearly $18,000 from three donors Thursday. He received $6,500 apiece from Mark and Susie Buell, owners of the Esprit clothing company and longtime backers. He also reported receiving $4,950 from Peter Ragone, his former press secretary. So now we'll have a 3-way race between Newsom, State Senator Dean Florez, and LA City Councilmember Janice Hahn. As you recall, Calitics interviewed Janice Hahn last November, and she made a very favorable and strong impression. We've also interviewed Gavin Newsom back when he was still a candidate for governor. In many ways, this race will showcase the future leade
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 04:32 PM)
    Political Blotter: New faces on the Political Blotter
    Please welcome to Political Blotter contributors’ roster Steve Harmon and Denis C. Theriault, Bay Area News Group’s eyes and ears in Sacramento!
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 04:16 PM)
    Calitics: Are We Watching Meg Whitman Implode? Already?
    Meg Whitman's campaign is a juggernaut. She's got famous Republican consultants all over the place, and she's got enough money to blanket TV with more Meg-ifornia spots than you'd ever want to see. But despite all the "talent", the campaign is going off the rails. Yesterday, there was the whole brouhaha about not taking press questions at a press event, but that wasn't it. Later that evening, her campaign team kicked out Jeremy Thompson from an event. Jeremy had been invited, RSVP'd, and then when he went into the event, they told him that he had to leave or they were going to call the cops. Check out his twitter feed for more details. But, Steve Poizner's web video to the right here has the best moment (or the worst, depending on where you stand) for Whitman. At a "town hall" Whitman had some of the audience members re-ask questions because eMeg messed up the answer the first time. Apparently it wasn't so much a town hall, a
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 04:00 PM)
    Political Blotter: Legislature will pursue governance reforms
    California legislative leaders and a bipartisan reform group today announced plans to pursue broad portions of the contents of California Forward’s two governance reform initiatives. (Watch video of the press conference below.) A list of nearly two dozen reforms include reducing from two-thirds to a majority the voting threshold for a state budget, limiting the number [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 03:28 PM)
    California Budget Project: Proposed Cuts to SSI/SSP and CAPI Would Affect Nearly 950,000 Californians
    Two CBP fact sheets released today document the local impact of Governor Schwarzenegger’s proposed cuts to programs that help low-income seniors and people with disabilities meet basic living expenses. The Governor proposes to reduce SSI/SSP payments for individuals and eliminate the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants (CAPI), which provides state-funded cash assistance to legal immigrants [...]
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 02:37 PM)
    LA Observed: Adam Nagourney to be NYT chief in L.A.
    The Huffington Post is reporting that Adam Nagourney, the chief national political correspondent for the New York Times, is leaving Washington to be the paper's Los Angeles bureau chief. Current bureau chief Jennifer Steinhauer is heading the other way, to cover Congress in the Washngton bureau. HuffPo's Sam Stein says of Nagourney: The Times scribe is known for his broad-stroke analysis and insider access, with articles that often graced the paper's front page (the prime piece of real estate in journalism). Nagourney came to the paper after covering Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign for USA Today and was assigned to cover Bob Dole's White House run in 1996. After that he covered city politics and was subsequently named chief political correspondent in 2002. Nagourney covered George W. Bush's 2004 campaign and the historic 2008 presidential campaign -- the latter of which seemed to be a fitting point of departure from the D.C. scene. As L.A. bureau chief, Nagourney
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 12:57 PM)
    LA Observed: Merlin Olsen, ex-Rams star and actor was 69 *
    When the Rams were a big deal in Los Angeles, Olsen anchored their Fearsome Foursome defensive line. He went on to be longtime color commentator for NBC’s pro football and Rose Bowl telecasts, and a television actor on “Little House on the Prairie” and in his own series, “Father Murphy.” His death at City of Hope hospital in Duarte was announced by his brother Orrin, who said he had been treated for mesothelioma, a form of cancer, the New York Times says. * Noted: An LAO reader recalls that Olsen and Rams quarterback Roman Gabriel used to have their names on a Porsche and Volkswagen dealer on Ventura Boulevard in Encino.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 12:35 PM)
    Calitics: Daily Kos/R2K Poll: Brown, Boxer Hold Narrow But Stable Leads
    Confirming what many of us have expected, the Daily Kos/Research 2000 Poll of the California Senate and gubernatorial races shows that both races lean Democratic, but will be dogfights between now and November (numbers in parentheses are from DKos/R2K August 2009 poll of California): Republican primary Meg Whitman (R) 52 (24) Steve Poizner (R) 19 (9) (Tom Campbell, then in the governor's race, got 19 percent in August 2009 poll) General election Meg Whitman (R) 41 (36) Jerry Brown (D) 45 (42) Steve Poizner (R) 33 (34) Jerry Brown (D) 48 (43) Favorable/Unfavorable Brown (D) 52/40 (48/37) Whitman (R) 51/35 (41/30) Poizner (R) 37/40 (35/27) No real surprises here. Whitman's TV barrage has increased her numbers - but then again so has Jerry Brown, who sees a 3 point boost even though he hasn't lifted a finger to campaign. Before we assume that validates his campaign strategy, Markos Moulitsas has some important thoughts on the crosstab
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 12:00 PM)
    Calitics: Sacramento Democrats Embrace California Forward Reform Package
    Today Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg and Speaker John P?rez joined California Forward to announce a reform package that the Legislature will try and put before voters at the November election. The package closely resembles what California Forward had been proposing since last fall, including majority vote budget, allowing counties to ask voters to raise the sales tax (but no other tax) by a majority vote in support of a "Countywide Strategic Action Plan," requiring a 2/3rds vote to create a fee to replace a tax, and creating some performance review processes. The full list of proposals can be found here. The genesis behind this appears to have been California Forward's own difficulty in getting the funds they need to put their initiatives directly to voters through signature gathering. This doesn't mean it's certain that the Legislature will put the proposals to the voters, since the constitutional amendments that form the meat of the reforms requires a 2/3rds vot
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 11:13 AM)
    LA Observed: Tribune's banned words, all in one sentence
    NPR blogger Ian Chillag endeavored to use all 119 words and phrases that Tribune CEO Randy Michaels told radio station WGN not to use. Here's how it starts: In other news, stay tuned, because in our top story tonight, some really good (or bad) news: as expected, in a surprise move yesterday, informed sources say, a world class icon, diva, mother of all motorists, and famed undocumented alien, lauded for putting area residents at risk and in harm's way, but at this point in time behind bars for allegations that -- according to sketchy details that, to be fair, have officials and authorities under fire for speaking out -- he reportedly engaged in shower activity with all of you folks at 5 am in the morning... Oh, there's more. Apparently he left out one or two, but as he writes, "honestly my mind is now too numb to go back and check." Via Romenesko.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 09:22 AM)
    LA Observed: USC names new president
    It will be C. L. Max Nikias, currently executive vice president and provost at USC. He will succeed Steven Sample, who previously announced he would retire on Aug. 2.
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 09:09 AM)
    LA Observed: Politics notes: Antonio for Hahn and more
    Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa endorsed Councilwoman Janice Hahn in her bid for the Democratic nod to be lieutenant governor. "Sticking with a vote he needs on the City Council," Rick Orlov observes at the Sausage Factory. Meanwhile, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom paid the filing fee and took out the papers to run, but has until Friday at 5 p.m. to return them. Also: Former LA Weekly political editor Harold Meyerson praises Villaraigosa's efforts in Washington to get bridge funding to build the Measure R transit projects in 10 years.The DWP officially dropped plans to build the Green Path North Transmission Line across two deserts.The Hump and chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto were charged by the feds with illegal sale of a marine mammal product — whale meat — a misdemeanor that carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a maximum fine of $100,000 for an individual and $200,000 for an organization.Before he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, former In
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 01:12 AM)
    LA Observed: Steve Erickson's nominated reviews
    Los Angeles magazine arts critic Steve Erickson's nomination for an American Society of Magazine Editors award is for three reviews he wrote last year. One is a piece rethinking his feelings about Battlestar Galactica, another called "The Hurt Locker" and "In the Loop" the first movies to get Iraq right, and the third took stock of the legacy of the Beatles. It's Erickson's first ASME nomination, the magazine's eighth since 2002. Dana Goodyear of the New Yorker was also nominated for a profile of James Cameron. Noted: Earlier in the week Los Angeles also received 17 nominations in the City and Regional Magazine Association awards competition. Photo: Forest Casey
    . . . [more] (posted 03/11/10 01:06 AM)