KPCC: Stories by Mike Roe

Sunset malfunction: Echo Park, Silver Lake businesses pick up the party

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:26:54 -0700

Tony Essa is part-owner of BACKSIDE, a record and clothing store in Echo Park that is hosting local bands who were supposed to play at the Sunset Junction Street Fair. Credit: Shereen Meraji/KPCC

If you haven’t already heard, the Sunset Junction Street Fair will not take place this weekend in Silver Lake. The Los Angeles Board of Public Works denied permits to the event’s organizers because of hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid fees. But don’t give up on seeing your favorite bands, yet.

Just a few blocks away, the Echo Park neighborhood is going to pick up the dropped baton and run with it. Business owners have come together, scoured the Sunset Junction line-up and are trying to host as many bands as they can over the weekend. They’re calling it an “impromptu block party.”

Tony Essa co-owns Backside Records in Echo Park. Although he’s bummed there might not be as much foot traffic in the neighborhood without the Sunset Junction festival, he’s embraced the opportunity to host a handful of local acts.

“When it comes down to it we’re all young at heart. We all want to see music,” says Essa. “So if we can, we will offer some of what the Sunset Junction would have offered to Silver Lake and Los Angeles in general.”

Many of the bands will play at the Echo Park stores for free, but the bigger acts will cost you. The Echo and Echoplex venues will house some of the would-be headliners from what many in the neighborhood are referring to as the “Sunset Junction Malfunction.”

For details about which bands are playing when, and where, check their website.

Another LA County children and family services director leaves next month

Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:13:17 -0700

Is LA's defiance of a subpoena legal? Credit: s_falkow/Flickr (cc by-nc-nd)

Jackie Contreras, the interim director of the beleaguered Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, will be leaving next month — the third agency chief to depart in nine months. She spoke with KPCC on today's "AirTalk."

Department spokesman Nishith Bhatt told the Los Angeles Times that Contreras will return to a job at Casey Family Programs, a Seattle-based foundation dedicated to improving the child welfare system. Bhatt said her departure was not related to the ongoing turmoil at the agency.

"The DCFS does not have a resources problem. It has a management problem," L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said on "AirTalk."

The agency has been under scrutiny since reports in The Los Angeles Times that more than 70 children had died since 2008 of abuse or neglect after coming to the attention of county social workers. Many of those deaths, county officials have confirmed, involved serious case management errors.

Contreras said that Yaroslavsky made an excellent point about DCFS management. She agreed that management needs to be improved. "We simply don't have the luxury to do otherwise." However, Contreras said that social work takes time and that heavy social worker case loads make it "challenging to do the quality of work that people in this community want to see."

On Monday, the Times reported that supervisors are defying a state subpoena for county records involving deaths of children under the department's oversight.

Yaroslavsky said he did not support the board's strategy to not turn over specific documents. "There's a whole volume of so-called 'confidential documents' that the board is arguing is also attorney-client privilege, and that's a whole other question."

"Every time a child dies in our county who is somehow in our system the DCFS does an investigation," Yaroslavsky said. "I thought that the appropriate response to the state would be ‘let's get all the confidential documents that we can.’"

Contreras said that, when it comes to turning over documents, "That is a decision for the Board of Supervisors to make." Contreras said that the department has cooperated fully with the audit of DCFS. She also said that "It's really unfortunate that the decision was made to stop the audit at this time."

Yaroslavsky said that he doesn't think that the state auditor leaked information.

Contreras's resignation will take effect Sept. 16, marking the third departure by an agency director in nine months. Trish Ploehn was forced out in December. In May, her replacement, Antonia Jimenez, quit after defying the Board of Supervisors' plan to reform the department.

Yaroslavsky said he doesn't think it will be difficult to find a new interim DCFS director. "We have a number of candidates that we're looking at who are interested." Yaroslavsky did say it would take "a number of months."

“This is a big job," Yaroslavsky said. "Outside of New York it is the biggest welfare department in the country."

They had several candidates earlier this year when they were looking for a permanent director, Yaroslavsky said, but "We waited too long." He said that they lost two top candidates.

Yaroslavsky said that David Sanders turned the department around in less than three years, so "I'm not pessimistic about being able to find good folks."

Brother of farmworkers union's Cesar Chavez dies, 81

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 11:23:20 -0700

FILE: Richard Chavez, brother of labor leader and civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, poses during the unveiling of the mosaic mural portrait ceremony commemorating Cesar Chavez Day, in this March 31, 2010 file photo taken in Washington. Chavez, who helped his brother Cesar Chavez build the United Farmworkers of America, passed away at a Bakersfield hospital Wednesday July 27, 2011 of complications from surgery, union spokeswoman Maria Machuca said. Credit: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP

United Farm Workers union leader Richard Chavez has died. The 81-year-old brother of civil rights and labor leader Cesar Chavez and longtime partner of activist Dolores Huerta died in Bakersfield, following complications in surgery.

Before Richard Chavez became involved in the movement, he started out as a carpenter. Miriam Pawel says that when she first met Chavez, one of the first things he said was "I really was on my way to being middle class. I had a life and I had a profession." Pawel wrote about the UFW in her book, “The Union of their Dreams.”

Pawel says that Richard was a skilled carpenter who built the house he lived in. However, when his brother Cesar decided to form a farmworkers union, he called on his family to help, and Richard took up the call. "Richard moved his family to Delano, gave up his job and from 1966 on worked full-time for the UFW for subsistence wages, like everyone else."

Pawel says Richard was the pragmatic brother. At board meetings, "he would say, 'you need to be realistic, Cesar. You know, not everyone is like you.'" Pawel says that Richard felt a responsibility to say things that others wouldn't be comfortable saying. "He was very respected and really loved within the movement, partly because of that," says Pawel.

Richard was involved in the UFW's construction projects and worked on acquiring the Forty Acres complex in Delano, the union's first headquarters, which recently became a national historic landmark.

Richard retired from active involved with the UFW in 1983, but was on the board of the Chavez Foundation and remained involved in events and fundraising.

Pawel says that Richard believed in the school of organizing that says the organizer is the person in the back of the room. "He didn't need to be in the front, he didn't need to be pushed forward. He was there because of his brother, he was there because he believed in the cause and in the principle, but he was not, did not need to be the face of it."

Nearly $1 million awarded to former LAX policewoman in gender discrimination lawsuit

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:24:30 -0700

A police officer walks to his patrol car at a security checkpoint near the entrance to Los Angeles International Airport on December 26, 2009. Credit: Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

Former Los Angeles police lieutenant Kathleen Green has been awarded nearly $1 million in a gender discrimination case.

The jury ruled Wednesday in favor of Green for gender discrimination that made her unable to be promoted to captain, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Green said in a statement that she didn't want to file the lawsuit, but "I now hope females in law enforcement agencies will be given the same opportunities as their male counterparts."

Green worked for the LAX Police Department since 1980 and served as a lieutenant for 10 years before retiring last year. Her lawyers say it was because "she could no longer take the discrimination at work."

Is Los Angeles ready for 'Carmageddon'?

Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:54:51 -0700

A traffic signs alerts motorists on Interstate 405 of the shutdown one day before workers start demolishing the Mulholland Bridge on Interstate 405 at the Sepulveda Pass during the 11-mile shutdown of Interstate 405 from July 16-18 for 53 hours on July 14, 2011 in Los Angeles. Los Angeles city officials are advising residents to stay home or stay away from the area over the weekend fearing massive traffic jams of what has become known as 'Carmageddon.' Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

L.A. County Metro officials say they're ready for this weekend’s shutdown of the 405 Freeway between the 101 and 10 interchanges. Are the rest of us ready for "Carmageddon"? Metro spokesman Marc Littman offers his thoughts.

Littman worked on the Olympics in 1984. "The traffic was freeflowing for a couple weeks. It was great. But there's a lot more cars and people today than there was back then."

Littman says he doesn't know what's going to happen with the 405 closure this weekend. "If enough people stay in their neighborhoods, and stay off the road, get to know their families, patronize their local businesses, go see Harry Potter, we'll be OK. If people think 'Well, everybody else is going to stay off the road, but it's OK for me,' and everyone jams the freeways, then we've got problems."

Topanga Canyon, Laurel Canyon and Coldwater Canyon may take the brunt of the traffic this weekend, but Littman says they just don't have the same capacity. "Anyone who thinks that you can go over the Pass, or go over Sepulveda, you're in for a rude surprise. I mean, just stay away from those canyon roads. Like Sepulveda narrows down to one lane. I mean, how are you going to handle 500,000 vehicles that normally go through that stretch of the 405 between the 10 and the 101 on those canyon roads? It ain't gonna happen. It's a prescription for gridlock."

Littman says those roads are intended for local access. "The best thing you can do is, if you have to drive, use the alternative freeway system. Or use public transportation."

Metro is offering free subway rides this weekend, as well as 27 bus lines, including the Orange line. Metrolink trains are also beefing up service on their Antelope Valley and Ventura lines, and they have a new $10 weekend pass.

"Use public transit if you have to get around, or like I said, stay in your neighborhood if at all possible, or stay home," says Littman.

Contractor Kiewit Infrastructure has a major incentive to finish on time so the 405 can open up Monday morning at 6 a.m. If they don't make it, they'll be charged $72,000 an hour. "It's like $6,000 for every 10 minutes for each side of the freeway, so that's $12,000 every 10 minutes" if they're late, says Littman.

"So, that's a strong incentive to finish," says Littman. "Kiewit's a great company. They actually built the original Mulholland Bridge back in 1959, and now they're called upon to tear it down." The bridge will look essentially the same way it does today once it's been rebuilt.

After the construction on the 405 is done at the end of five years of construction, "The whole freeway's going to be safer because the lanes are going to be standardized, we're going to have all these bridge improvements and on- and off-ramp improvements, plus an additional lane of capacity," says Littman.

Public officials have tried to make sure the public's aware of the closure, and Littman says it's worked. "You'd have to be on Pluto not to know that this is happening this weekend, [that] this could be an impact on the regional freeway system and the arterial streets."

Officials have also worked to make sure people coming in from out of town know what's going on. "We've been working with World Airports and L.A. Inc. I mean, the airlines, the tour operators, rental car companies, everybody's been putting out the word – the Auto Club. There's something like 65,000 people I think come into LAX alone on a typical Saturday or Sunday in mid-July."

Check out our most recent information on 405 shutdown information here.

405 closure: Tickets for JetBlue's $4 flights between Burbank and Long Beach sell out

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:15:47 -0700

The Bob Hope Airport in Burbank on Dec. 17, 2003. Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

JetBlue announced flights between Long Beach Airport and Burbank's Bob Hope Airport this Saturday during the closure of the 405 dubbed "Carmageddon." The flights sold out within hours.

“Tickets went on sale around noontime California time this afternoon and within a couple of hours," said Steinberg. "Fortunately or unfortunately depending on who you are, those tickets did sell out."

They were charging $4 each way including taxes and fees, or $5 for "Even More Space" seats, including early boarding.

Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster thanked JetBlue for offering the service.

While those flights sold out, in honor of the 405, the promotion also includes 40.5 percent discounts on vacation packages to Las Vegas from Burbank or Long Beach plus $40.50 off the overall vacation package.

The four flights are this Saturday. JetBlue sold tickets for two flights out of Burbank, and two out of Long Beach.

The flights take about 45 minutes. It's JetBlue's shortest flight ever, according to JetBlue Media Analyst Allison Steinberg.

A Van Nuys-based company is offering another unusual way to get around town this weekend: helicopter rides over the 405 freeway. The trips go for $150 one way or $275 round trip, and travel between Van Nuys and Santa Monica or LA International Airport.

Find our most updated 405 shutdown information by clicking on this link.

Democrat Janice Hahn wins 36th District US House race

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:47:28 -0700

Los Angeles Councilwoman Janice Hahn. Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Democrat Janice Hahn has defeated Republican Craig Huey in a bitter contest for a Southern California House seat. Her victory preserves her party's hold on the district as she survives an unusually tough race in the longtime Democratic stronghold. Hahn spoke Wednesday morning with KPCC's AirTalk.

With all districts reporting, Hahn, a Los Angeles city councilwoman, had 41,585 votes, or about 55 percent, to 34,636, or about 45 percent, for Huey. Huey owns marketing and advertising companies and largely bankrolled his campaign with nearly $900,000 in personal funds.

With a light turnout and widespread voter anxiety over the economy, Republicans were hoping for an upset that would send a message heading toward the 2012 national elections, in which President Barack Obama will seek a second term.

The race presented a stark choice. Huey, 61, is a conservative who wanted to slash spending, taxes and debt and roll back government regulation; Hahn, 59, a Los Angeles city councilwoman, is a fixture in local Democratic politics who wants to see the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the growth of alternative energy.

Hahn's victory was far from impressive, given an 18-point Democratic registration edge in the 36th Congressional District, which runs from the famous Venice boardwalk through the beach communities south of Los Angeles International Airport.

This morning on KPCC's AirTalk, Hahn defended her win, telling host Larry Mantle that Democrats' registration advantage only really works in a presidential election and that it shrinks in other elections, particularly a special election with low turnout.

The result was obviously disappointing for Huey, but campaign spokeswoman Jennifer Jacobs said the campaign was pleased that the race was well within the 18-point registration edge because "there's a sizable amount of people who broke with registration to vote for jobs and the economy in America."

KPCC's political reporter Frank Stoltze said later that many were viewing Hahn's 10-point win as "something of a victory for Republicans."

Hahn credited the Tea Party as being largely responsible for Republican Craig Huey's victory. "The Tea Party came in mass," canvassing districts, said Hahn.

Hahn takes office in the midst of contentious negotiations over the debt ceiling between President Obama and congressional Democrats on one side and congressional Republicans on the other.

"I don't think I have the luxury of laying back and getting the lay of the land," Hahn said. She added that her district's been unrepresented since Democratic Rep. Jane Harman resigned, and "I need to represent this district and get in there." Harman resigned earlier this year to head a Washington think tank.

Hahn said that she thinks the district she represents want her to get a handle on the national deficit and the national debt, but "We don't have to give up Social Security and Medicare to raise the debt ceiling." She said that framing the debate in such a way provides a "false choice."

Hahn said that she thinks there's $4 trillion that could be cut – the same number President Obama has been arguing for.

When asked if she was willing to compromise with Republicans, the democrat said, "The future of this country is at stake, and if compromises have to be made, I certainly will follow the lead of the president."

"Americans want us to get together, find common ground, and have some common sense solutions," said Hahn. "They want to see some compromises, they want to see people working together."

The election came just one day after her 86-year-old mother died. "It came at a really rough time for me," Hahn said. She abruptly suspended her schedule to join her grieving family, but staffers said it would not change the campaign's long-set plans to get voters to the polls. Hahn said he knows her mom would want her to "soldier on."

Hahn plans to bury her mother Saturday before traveling to Washington next week. She says she's spoken with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's office and that she'll be sworn into office Tuesday if it's approved by Republican Speaker John Boehner.

Hahn appeared on AirTalk last week for the only debate of the district 36 race. Hahn talked about what she called a "contentious" race with Huey. "People either wanted to continue on a path in this country of protecting the wealthy, or they wanted to make a clear choice with someone like me."

Each campaign had pooled over $1 million and plowed much of it into sharp-edged advertising: Hahn had sought to link Huey to Sarah Palin and referred to his agenda as "extremist," while Huey derided Hahn as a career politician with ties to a troubled gang-intervention program.

Bill Clinton recorded automated phone messages for Hahn. Organizing for America, the group that provides Democratic Party's foot-soldiers, asked supporters to make thousands of phone calls.

Hahn said that she would continue pushing for an investigation by the Federal Election Commission into allegations that Huey supporters tried to discourage Hahn supporters by telling them the election had been postponed a day. Huey supporters also allegedly set up fake polling places. Huey's campaign manager said they had nothing to do with that.

"We've asked the FEC for an investigation, and I think we continue with that," said Hahn. "If someone's done something wrong, they need to be held accountable for that."

Hahn's victory opens a seat on the 15th city council district, which stretches from Watts down to San Pedro. The head of the Firefighters' Union Pat McOsker has already said he'll run for that seat, and several other have expressed interest, including assemblyman Warren Furutani and former city councilman Rudy Svorinich.

Audio: KPCC's Frank Stoltze speaks with KPCC's Steve Julian on Janice Hahn's 36th Congressional District win.

This story incorporates information from the Associated Press.

The history and legacy of the Betty Ford Center

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 13:59:19 -0700

Betty Ford in 1996 at her husband's funeral Credit: AP

A memorial service for former First Lady Betty Ford will be held Tuesday afternoon at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in Palm Desert. She and late President Gerald Ford worshipped there after he left office in 1977. Betty Ford died Friday at the age of 93.

While she was First Lady, Betty Ford championed breast cancer awareness, abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. But she also endured a very public battle with addiction to alcohol and pain killers.

The Betty Ford Center was founded in October 1982. Ford expected that the center would be a Southern California center, according to John Schwarzlose, the CEO of Betty Ford Center.

He says Ford "really underestimated the demand, the impact [of the center], because of her, and everything she stood for as a woman. That we'd be worldwide. And that today, 29 years later, we're the best known addiction center in the entire world, was something that really overwhelmed Mrs. Ford."

Schwarzlose says Ford would run into former patients, who would flock to her. "They would say, 'Betty, thank you so much for giving me this chance, for letting me build this new life.' And Mrs. Ford would look at every one of them, right into their eyes, and say, 'You're the one that did it. You did it.'"

While she was mired in problems of addiction, Ford's family held an intervention for her in 1978. "It was actually April Fools Day. Mrs. Ford – years later, she would joke about that. She'd say 'Yeah, the April Fools joke was on me!,'" Schwarzlose says.

She went for treatment to Long Beach Naval Hospital, a hospital that was mostly filled with sailors from the Navy who had trouble with drugs and alcohol. But Schwarzlose says women who had been in the 12-step program for a long time took Ford under her wing.

Ford never regretted her sobriety, says Schwarzlose. She and her husband, Former President Gerald Ford, lobbied the California legislature to pass a new law creating an addiction hospital. The law passed and was signed into law, and work began on the Betty Ford Center.

"Then the question was asked of Mrs. Ford, would you agree to put your name on it? And she said, 'Absolutely not. I've only been clean and sober myself for a little over three years. And, you know, if I put my name on it, what if I take a drink?' And President Ford at the end was the one that finally convinced her. 'If you do put your name on it, it will be like a beacon to say to people, this is a safe place to go.'"

Betty Ford agreed to put her name on the center, but her reluctance is, according to Schwarzlose, the reason why there's only one Betty Ford Center.

Audio: KPCC's Steve Julian talks with John Schwarzlose, CEO of the Betty Ford Center, who knew Ford well.

Dodgers file for bankruptcy

Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:47:41 -0700

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt at a news conference at Dodger Stadium. Credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

The Dodgers have filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware – a move that keeps the team from being seized by Major League Baseball.

The Los Angeles Times reports that owner Frank McCourt said he had $150 million in interim financing lined up, which allows McCourt to keep control of the team during bankruptcy proceedings.

It isn't known where the $150 million came from, and ESPN's Molly Knight says she'll believe it when she sees it. "[McCourt] says a lot of things that wind up not being totally true."

"This is the end for McCourt," says Knight. Knight says that usually when there's a bankruptcy filing, it means giving up the team. "He might not think it's the end, but [Major League Baseball commissioner Bud] Selig's people will definitely step in soon. They've been hanging him out to dry, bleeding McCourt, hoping he'd die on the vine."

When Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks filed for bankruptcy last year, he didn't intend to come out of it as the owner, while McCourt does. "He's got no shot to keep the team," says Knight.

McCourt cites MLB commissioner Selig's interference with Dodgers club operations and refusal to approve a Dodgers TV deal with Fox Sports as the cause for Monday's bankruptcy filing.

He says the Dodgers have tried for almost a year to get the Fox deal approved, saying it would make the Dodgers one of the strongest capitalized franchises in Major League Baseball.

Fox Television has reportedly yanked its offer of a lucrative TV deal, which McCourt had counted on to keep the team solvent.

On top of that, team executive Steve Soboroff has resigned from his job after only two months. He was hired to improve the fan experience at Dodger Stadium.

In a news release, the team says Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection will provide the Dodgers with a process to address its immediate financing requirements and obtain the capital necessary to ensure the franchise's long-term financial stability.

The Dodgers have a payroll to meet Thursday. "Baseball will cover it," says ESPN's Knight. "The players union makes it paramount that the players will get paid, because if they don't, they all become free agents." Knight said that would be the end of the Dodgers, so she doubts Major League Baseball will allow that.

The bankruptcy filing includes a list of the major creditors. "The creditors are the players," says ESPN's Knight. Number one is Manny Ramirez, who's owed $20 million. Knight calls the list "mind-bending."

Other Dodgers creditors include all of the current players, broadcaster Vin Scully, the Chicago White Sox, Continental Airlines and Bank of America.

The list even includes Marquis Grissom, who hasn't played for the Dodgers since 2002. Grissom is owed millions.

Audio: KPCC's Steve Julian speaks with ESPN's Molly Knight about the Dodgers bankruptcy.

Anti-Janice Hahn Web ad denounced as 'sexist' by Democrats and Republicans

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:58:06 -0700

A shot from the Janice Hahn attack ad. Credit: Ladd Ehlinger, Jr.

A new ad attacking Los Angeles city councilwoman Democrat Janice Hahn, who's running to replace Jane Harman in a special election in the 36th Congressional District, has been denounced by both Hahn and her Republican opponent, Craig Huey. The Hahn campaign announced today that it plans to file a complaint with the Federal
Election Commission against Republican rival Craig Huey's campaign.

The ad was produced by a political action committee, Turn Right USA, unaffiliated with the Huey campaign. The video is called "Give us your cash, B--ch!"

The video has been compared to the famed Willie Horton ad used in 1988 by George H.W. Bush in his campaign against Democratic opponent Michael Dukakis.

Talking Points Memo reports that Hahn's campaign manager said the ad is "incredibly offensive and sexist to all women" and that "Craig Huey should be ashamed to have this kind of thing produced on his behalf." Huey campaign manager Jimmy Camp told the L.A. Weekly that the ad is "inappropriate" and "highly offensive." California Republican Party spokesperson Mark Standriff also called the video offensive and inappropriate, as well as saying it's not connected to the Huey Campaign or the California Republican Party.

The L.A. Times quotes the ad's creator, conservative filmmaker Ladd Ehlinger Jr., saying "The ad's funny. It makes me laugh." He also preemptively refuted charges that the ad is racist, saying "Before you charge racism at the ad, consider her one line in the video: 'It takes a different kind of person to speak the language.' By that she means, it takes black people to talk to black people."

The ad's narration opens, "In an insane effort to reduce gang violence, Janice Hahn hired hardcore gang members with taxpayer money to be 'gang intervention specialists.' She even helped them get out of jail, so they could rape and kill again."

It then shows a scantily clad woman on a stripper pole and a song that opens with rappers holding guns, yelling "Kill!" and then delivering lines like "Give me your cash, b---h, so we can shoot up the street!" while the rappers put dollar bills in the stripper's shorts. Janice Hahn's face is later superimposed on the woman's face.

The video also includes Hahn saying, "It does take a different kind of person to be able to speak the language." It closes with images of a red-eyed Hahn and an assault rifle. The narrator closes, saying "Congress has enough gangsters. Janice Hahn: Bad for L.A. Bad for America. Let's keep her out of Congress, homies. Donate now."

It also includes a link to a site called "Hahn's Homeboyz" with the video and a local news report on Hahn's work with gang intervention.

The special election between Hahn and Huey is July 12.

LAPD Chief Beck on early leak of Giants fan beating suspect's photo: 'The media's relentless in LA'

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:42:43 -0700

Police fliers have been circulating the city since the March 31 Dodger Stadium beating of Bryan Stow. Credit: Molly Peterson/KPCC

Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck spoke with KPCC's Patt Morrison about the suspect in the beating of Giants fan Bryan Stow at Dodger Stadium, as well as the continuing investigation.

Beck says that the police didn't want suspect Giovanni Ramirez's photo to be released before the police had a chance to do a lineup with the suspect, but KTLA published a photo of Ramirez before the lineup. The LAPD contacted KTLA and asked them to take it down, which they did.

Beck explained what happened. "The media's relentless in L.A. They were able to get a copy of a photo through a law enforcement source, not the Los Angeles Police Department, and put it online." Beck says that he thinks the media generally does a good job, though, and that it's a mutually beneficial relationship between the media and police.

Ramirez is also named in a crime that occurred in Nevada, but Beck says they're still working out whether Nevada wants Ramirez back to try him for that crime.

Ramirez took two polygraph exams, one private and one through the police department. Those results won't be released, though, as they're inadmissible and would taint the jury pool in the case, according to Beck.

Gay marriage play series includes 'On Facebook'

Mon, 23 May 2011 11:17:23 -0700

The Internet homepage of the social networking website Facebook. Credit: Loic Venance/AFP/Getty Images

The idea for Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright's short play "On Facebook" came from reading conversations about gay marriage on the world's most popular social network. His piece is part of a group of short works, “Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays.”

"I was stunned how in the relative safety of the Facebook format, people really let loose with their passions and were unafraid to say things that they might be ashamed to say face-to-face," says Wright.

The Facebook thread is something Wright says he vividly remembered. He made some changes to avoid legal issues and created "On Facebook."

"What's performed on stage is markedly the same in tone and content of what actually occurred in the thread," he says.

Wright and his partner are amount the 18,000 couples who got married before Proposition 8, outlawing gay marriage, was passed. "We made the loophole, and are now curiously married in some states and not in others. And if that isn't a governmental intrusion into our private life, I don't know what is. Whenever we arrive in a new state, the first thing we do is check our status."

He says it informs his writing. "It makes you passionate about the subject, certainly."

Wright pointed out what he sees as another irony. "I had some friends that asked me to become a marriage officiant in New York, so that I could marry them. They were a heterosexual couple. And so I'm licensed to marry others in New York, but can't get married myself. And these things lodge with you, and so writing about them I think is a very healthy kind of exorcism."

"Standing On Ceremony" is structured around nine shorts performed over 90 minutes. Wright says this presentation is a good thing for the gay marriage debate. "Even for people who may not be predisposed to go see an evening of theater on this subject, they see the degree of support that it's getting from the community, its visibility is heightened by the actors that choose to participate in it."

Wright says the theater can be an antiquated medium, "and I always think it's thrilling when suddenly the theater enters the public square and talks about current issues in a really vital and necessary way. Because not only does it make the issue of gay marriage relevant, but it makes that grand old invalid the theater relevant again too."

Doug Wright’s play “I Am My Own Wife” won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His short work “On Facebook” is one of several being performed Monday evenings this month and next at the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Center’s Renberg Theatre. Tonight’s cast includes John Glover and Jane Kaczmarek. The series includes works by other playwrights including Neil LaBute and Moises Kaufman.

4 rainforest protesters arrested after handcuffing themselves to Burbank Disney Studios entrance sign

Wed, 18 May 2011 10:14:16 -0700

Rainforest protesters at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. Credit: Moina Regalado for KPCC

Four people were arrested after protesting outside Burbank's Disney Studios, raising a banner reading "Disney: Destroying Indonesia's Rainforests."

Two of the protesters handcuffed themselves to the Disney sign, one dressed as Mickey and the other as Minnie. The protesters, wearing Disney hats, described themselves as "Indonesian rainforest protesters."

Firefighters cut the protesters loose and took them down, and they were then arrested.

The banner also has the logo of the Rainforest Action Network.

California bills take aim at paid signature-gatherers

Fri, 13 May 2011 08:31:07 -0700

Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, discusses the budget revision package with colleagues during an all-night Senate session. Credit: Courtesy Sen. Mark DeSaulnier

Decades ago, it seemed like a good idea — letting Californians decide on issues from taxes to the legality of same-sex marriage through ballot initiatives. Now, critics say that progressive approach to governance has morphed into an industry that caters to special interests with money to spend. Two state Senate bills are taking aim at the process.

One would require signature-gatherers to wear badges that indicate whether they’re paid or volunteers. The other would allow issue campaigns to pay them by the hour. But not per signature.

Both measures passed the state Senate this week. State Senator Mark DeSaulnier of Concord explains what his bill's goal is.

"It's just transparency," says DeSaulnier. He adds that polls show Californias love the initiative system, but "are aware that it's more complex than it needs to be and money plays too large an influence."

The initiative system was created 100 years ago. "Hiram Johnson, a progressive Republican, famous California governor, brought the initiative system to California because the railroad system had corrupted representative democracy, and the initiative system worked," says DeSaulnier.

However, DeSaulnier says that there were only a million people in California in 1911, and with 38 million today, the initiative system needs to be updated. "Money is a very large influence. It's been since 1982 that a volunteer effort qualified an initiative to ballot in California," says DeSaulnier.

California and 23 other states have initiative systems. "California has the most robust direct democracy," says DeSaulnier. "Unfortunately, it's been hijacked." DeSaulnier says that's because the size of California and the amount it costs to place television ads in large, expensive markets like Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Republican opponents say the restrictions suggested by DeSaulnier would discourage freedom of expression and free enterprise by removing the incentive to collect signatures. "I just disagree. There's no analysis that suggests that they're right," says DeSaulnier. He says his bill tries to make money less of a determining factor in gathering signatures and passing an initiative.

"I believe that Hiram Johnson, when he started this, he wanted it to be mostly citizen, grassroots efforts, and we'd like to make it a little more like that," says DeSaulnier.

He says that people aren't talking about scrapping the initiative system altogether, but he has written bills calling for a California constitutional convention due to what he sees as problems with the structure of California's government.

DeSaulnier says he wants voters to have more time to read information about initiatives. He also says he has another bill going through the Legislature that would require the top five fundraisers for an initiative to be identified in voters pamphlets.

"Too often, we actually end up voting against our own best interest, because of the money and the sophistication of the marketing," says DeSaulnier. He says that his bill will help correct that.

Northrop Grumman unveils new Firebird spy plane

Mon, 09 May 2011 11:48:29 -0700

The Firebird can can listen in on phone conversations, use high-powered radar and shoot live video footage as it flies at 30,000 feet above the Earth. Credit: Alan Radecki/Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman is test-flying a new spy plane over the Mojave desert. The Firebird can be flown with or without a pilot. Rick Crooks, Northrop’s director of advanced projects, led the development team and describes the plane - and its future.

Crooks says that the Firebird could be used for border surveillance, wildfire support staff, first responders in natural disasters, monitoring situations like the Gulf oil spill – either in manned or unmanned modes. "All of these scenarios can be addressed more easily with manned assets, and then in the long term, transition to the unmanned mode," says Crooks, adding that the unmanned option is useful for endurance flights.

There's also the possibility of military use.

"Firebird could be armed; today, it's not our primary focus," Crooks says.

Northrop designed the Firebird on spec and the company hopes to get a Pentagon contract.

"Certainly in the budget-constrained environment that we have, it's challenging to come out with a new product," says Crooks. "However, the need for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance isn't going down, and it won't go down anytime soon. This product offers something that is not currently available today.

Crooks says Northrop believes that the Firebird will pay for itself by reducing training, manpower, support and sustainment costs, and that using the Firebird will ultimately be more cost effective.

There isn't a lot of direct competition when it comes to planes where the pilot is optional, says Crooks. "What it's really about is changing the view, and maybe changing buying habits, to understand the value of this mission scenario, and maybe spend existing money differently."

Northrop looks forward to demonstrating the Firebird, says Crooks. They'll be at an exercise for the next month at Fort Huachuca, showing the Firebird to the U.S. Army.

Operation that took out bin Laden 'unprecedented in recent times'

Mon, 02 May 2011 14:02:16 -0700

This undated file photo shows Osama bin Laden in an undisclosed location inside Afghanistan. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

Colonel Joe Felter spoke about what went into the operation that took out Osama bin Laden.

"It's a really sophisticated operation," requiring the cooperation of a variety of agencies, intelligence resources and assets, says Felter. Colonel Felter is currently assigned to the U.S. Army War College and is a research fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution.

"It was the result of just a long, long time of preparation, rehearsing, training for contingencies," says Felter. One example was how they handled a helicopter going down. Everyone got out safely and they blew up the helicopter, using a backup helicopter that was available for just such an event. "They rehearsed that scenario, I'm sure," says Felter.

"Certainly a difficult decision for a commander-in-chief," says Felter, but he says it was the right one. "The difference between success and failure is very slim."

Felter says this operation required "predictive intelligence" – knowledge of where someone will be in the future, in this case bin Laden. "This is the hardest of all information to cultivate."

While there was a $25 million reward for Osama bin Laden, dead or alive, the men who conducted this mission aren't eligible to receive that reward due to their service in the military.

Felter says that it's important to have a team in a mission like this that's just large enough while not being any larger. It's unknown how many men were aboard the two lead helicopters and the largely empty third helicopter, but Felter says about a dozen troops can fit on a Blackhawk helicopter.

The teams likely built mockups of the compound and practices, says Felter, with at least one helicopter going in empty which ended up being used to help bring everyone out.

Felter says there are historical parallels to this mission.

"Certainly I think the experience of Desert One in Iran in the early '80s was one example; the Son Tay raid in Vietnam before then," says Felter. With Son Tay, "there was no one on the target," while with Desert One, part of Operation Eagle Claw, it "ended in tragedy." Desert One was a 1980 mission in Iran that led to the destruction of multiple aircraft, helicopters being left behind and eight American servicemen being killed.

With the operation that killed bin Laden, "This is really unprecedented in recent times," says Felter, "and really an example of our special operations forces operating to an amazing level."

Pakistanis question how much their government knew about bin Laden raid

Mon, 02 May 2011 13:42:41 -0700

This frame grab from the Saudi-owned television network MBC (Middle East Broadcasting Center) shows alleged terror mastermind Osama bin Laden sitting between his Egyptian lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahri (L) and Suleiman Abu Ghaith, the spokesman of his al-Qaeda network, in an undated videotape broadcast by the Dubai-based MBC April 17, 2002. Credit: AFP/Getty Images

The United States remains "deeply unpopular" in Pakistan, according to Cyril Almeida, a columnist/editor at Dawn, a Pakistani newspaper.

Local Pakistani television, says Almeida, was questioning whether the Pakistani military knew about the attack on bin Laden's compound ahead of time, and if they knew why they didn't do anything to stop it.

Almeida says that this operation "happening under the nose of our security establishment has caused some to question what is going on in this country."

Tensions were "already at an all-time high," says Almeida, following the Raymond Davis Affair earlier this year – the incident involving a CIA agent who said that he'd shot two men who were trying to rob him and was arrested by local authorities.

Almeida says that what usually happens after operations like this, such as drone strikes and other American activities in Pakistan, is that Pakistani officials start leaking information to the local media. In this case, officials aren't giving information either publicly or privately, which Almeida says raises "awkward questions."

Some commentators and journalists have pointed out that, in the past, American officials have confided information in Pakistani authorities – which then got leaked, allowing targets to potentially get away.

The compound where bin Laden was found was a "stone's throw" one of Pakistan's "premiere military installations."

"For that to have occurred in that area," says Almeida, "to have a 12-foot high wall ringing a large compound and barbed wire, if it did not invite questions from the local police or the army officials, that sounds pretty much like a lot of incompetence."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks on bin Laden's death before leaving for Washington DC

Mon, 02 May 2011 09:03:21 -0700

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa speaks at the launch of the unaffiliated political organization known as No Labels December 13, 2010 at Columbia University in New York City. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa spoke with KPCC this morning about Osama bin Laden's death.

Villaraigosa says that he is "somewhat concerned" about terrorism in the Los Angeles area. "Look, let me be absolutely clear: we are not on a heightened level of alert, but we are adding resources where necessary. We're being as vigilant as possible, particularly at the airport, the port, and places that could be a target of opportunity."

However, Villaraigosa says he wants to allay concerns that there was any specific threat, saying that the alert wasn't based on anything "other than the possibility, obviously, some al-Qaida operative may want to retaliate. We know that at some point efforts like that will occur," but that at this point there shouldn't be any further concern.

The mayor talked about how bin Laden's death would affect relationships with Muslim-Americans in Southern California. Villaraigosa said that President Barack Obama made clear in his statement last night that this was not an act against Islam or Muslims, and Villraigosa "also issued a statement last night saying the Muslim community has been a partner against terrorism here in the United States."

Villaraigosa says the Muslim-American community has "worked side by side with us over the years, stood together against hatred and united" against terrorism. "So we need to recognize that there's a difference between Osama bin Laden, al-Qaida and the Muslim community overall." Villaraigosa says the city wants to be inclusive in everything it does with the Muslim community.

The mayor says that Osama bin Laden's death has not changed his plans for today other than raised vigilance. Villaraigosa spoke with KPCC from the Los Angeles International Airport on the tarmac, where he was preparing to leave for Washington, D.C. Villaraigosa is traveling to advocate for Los Angeles's priorities in Washington, working with Access L.A., a group of hundreds of business leaders from around Los Angeles.

Villaraigosa says he will continue monitoring the situation from Washington, and that "our hearts and prayers are with the Navy SEAL team and the counterintelligence operatives who helped to make this day happen."

Calif. Rep. Adam Schiff on bin Laden death: 9/11 victims now have 'some measure of justice'

Mon, 02 May 2011 07:16:43 -0700

Congressman Adam Schiff Credit: John Moore/Getty Images

Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff serves on the House Intelligence Committee. Schiff says the Committee didn't know about the raid before it took place.

Congress was in recess when the announcement of bin Laden's death was made last night. "We had not had briefings on it. We obviously over the many years, the last several years, we've been briefed periodically on the hunt for Osama bin Laden, but I suspect that most of the committee members found out the way most Americans did, by finding out about it on a news broadcast."

Schiff called bin Laden's death "stunning news." "The victims of 9/11 now have some measure of justice, and the symbolic and spiritual leader of the organization is gone."

While bin Laden's been killed, Schiff says bin Laden long ago ceased to be al-Qaida's operational commander. Operations have shifted to al-Qaida offshoots. "These offshoots will be more dangerous. They may be planning less spectacular attacks, but still devastating ones."

Schiff says bin Laden's death will have an impact on the war in Afghanistan. "It certainly won't cause the Taliban to go away, but it is a psychological boost for our troops," and a negative one for the Taliban.

Schiff also pointed out this marks one of the reasons the United States went to war in Afghanistan being accomplished.

In 2001, Schiff first saw the difficulty of finding bin Laden when he visited Afghanistan for the first time. Flying over mountain ranges and visiting northern Pakistan, Schiff saw that it was a mammoth region with many places to hide.

"As we found out last night, it wasn't even the mountainous areas he was found in," says Schiff. "It is a huge area to search," particularly with bin Laden having the cooperation of the local population, says Schiff.

Next, Schiff says it's time to found out what the United States knows about the compound bin Laden was killed in, and "perhaps more significant, what the Pakistanis know."

The compound was electronically "dark," with no Internet or other modern communications. "That's like a neon sign in reverse," says Schiff. He wants to know how the structure was planned and built with no one seeming to know until fairly recently that it was significant from a terrorism perspective.

Muslim Public Affairs Council greets bin Laden's death with 'sense of relief'

Mon, 02 May 2011 07:00:01 -0700

FILE - Saudi-born alleged terror mastermind Osama bin Laden is seen in this video footage recorded at an undisclosed location in Afghanistan aired by the Qatar-based satelite TV station al-Jazeera October 7, 2001. Credit: Al-Jazeera/AFP/Getty Images

People are reacting this morning to the death of Osama bin Laden. The Muslim Public Affairs Council's website this morning read "MPAC Greets Bin Laden's Death With A Sense Of Relief." Salam Al-Marayati, president of MPAC in Los Angeles, spoke with KPCC.

Why relief? "We've been dealing with the specter of terrorism for so long that the elimination of bin Laden represents a swift blow against terrorism," says Al-Marayati. "The Middle East, unfortunately, has been devastated by terrorist violence. We see people like bin Laden sitting on his empty throne of self-righteousness, sending young people to their deaths and killing civilians in our name."

Al-Marayati says bin Laden's death was a major blow against terrorism. "As we see democracy on the rise in the Middle East as well, I hope that this ushers a new era for the whole region and for U.S./Muslim world relations."

Al-Marayati says he sees bin Laden's death as a game changer. "It's a significant step. I don't think we've achieved victory against terrorism, but I think definitely it's a major blow against terrorism."

Southern California Muslims have been reacting to bin Laden’s death, discussing it and what it signifies for Southern California and the Muslim community. "We've been talking, and there's been Facebook chatting," says Al-Marayati. "Most people are relieved, like MPAC is, that we don't have to deal with bin Laden anymore. He's a major source of negative stereotyping about Islam and Muslims."

Al-Marayati says people complain a lot about the Muslim community's negative image. "It's a result of people like him, and of dictators, as well."

While U.S. policy in the Middle East is part of the conversation, Al-Marayati says, "The fact is, until we Muslims ourselves deal effectively with the issue of terrorism and dictatorship, and have a clear message on that, I don't think we can blame U.S. policy 100 percent on that issue."

Salam Al-Marayati is a member of the KPCC Regional Advisory Council.