Patt Morrison Mon, 11/3

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Monday, November 3, 2008

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 2:00

Ballot Cramming, Cliff Notes Style

If you haven’t cast your ballot yet and are a little fuzzy on some of the propositions, or are even among the fence sitters and the undecideds, get out your voter guides and sharpen your pencils. From Props 1A through 12 to all the local measures, Patt host a final overview of everything you need to know on your election ballot. Got a last minute question? Confused about what would happen if a certain measure were to pass? We’re here to help.

 

Guests:

Bob Stern: President, Center for Governmental Studies

IN STUDIO

 

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

 

2:00 – 3:00

OPEN

 

 

 

Actress Mackenzie Phillips pleads guilty

 

LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
MEDIA RELATIONS DIVISION

STEVE COOLEY District Attorney JOSEPH SCOTT Director
JOHN K. SPILLANE Chief Deputy District Attorney SANDI GIBBONS P.I.O.
JANE ROBISON News Secretary
SHIARA M. DÁVILA Asst. P.I.O.

18-1112 Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center
210 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 974-3525

 

Oct. 31, 2008

Actress pleads guilty to drug charge; placed on a diversion program

LOS ANGELES – Actress Mackenzie Phillips pleaded guilty to a felony drug charge and was placed on a diversion program today at an unscheduled appearance in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Phillips, 49, had been scheduled to appear in court for arraignment next week. Instead, the former "One Day at a Time" actress and her attorney showed up at the Airport Branch Court this morning and asked to advance the case.

The actress was charged on Sept. 3 with two felony counts – possession of cocaine and possession of heroin – and one misdemeanor count of the unauthorized possession of a hypodermic needle or syringe (SA068775). She was arrested by Los Angeles Airport police on Aug. 27.

Deputy District Attorney Eric Perrodin, the prosecutor, said Phillips pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and was placed on a "deferred entry of judgment program." Under the program, a defendant has to complete court-monitored drug diversion programs.

Perrodin said the defendant is monitored by the court for an 18-month period. It could be less, he said, if the court is satisfied with the defendant's progress.

Phillips' first progress report before Superior Court Judge Kenneth L. Schwartz at the Airport Branch is Jan. 22, Perrodin said.

sg

 

Sandi Gibbons, Public Information Officer
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
Criminal Justice Center
210 W. Temple St., 18th Floor
Los Angeles CA 90012
Phone: 213-974-3528
Email address: sandi@da.lacounty.gov

Nov 5 2008 AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

AGENDA HIGHLIGHTS

                           Board of Supervisors, County of Los Angeles  

                                                           

Contact:  Judy Hammond, Director of Public Affairs, (213) 974-1363

                 Brian Lew, Assistant Director, (213) 974-1652

 

Live videofeed, English and Spanish, Telco #948075      Audio–(213) 974-4700 or

                                                                                                   (877) 873-8017 ext. 111111# English

                                                                                                                           ext. 222222# Spanish

Agenda and supporting documents:  http://bos.co.la.ca.us/Categories/Agenda/AgendaHome.asp

Agenda Highlights: http://ceo.lacounty.gov/press.htm

 

                          Oct. 30, 2008            

 

Nov. 5 (Wednesday) Agenda Highlights

(Meeting begins at 9:30 a.m.; day changed due to election on Tuesday)

 

$54,724 proposal would fund program to assist homeless individuals and families in Glendale.  (Item 2-D)

 

$6.8 million proposal would fund site acquisition/construction of 30-unit multi-family rental housing development in Florence-Firestone area.   (Items 2-H, 30)

 

Extension of $25,000 reward proposed for information leading to the arrest/conviction of person(s) responsible for the murder of Luis Sandoval, who was shot while riding his bike near  intersection of Olympic Boulevard and Hicks Avenue in Los Angeles area in 2007.  (Item 3)

 

Supervisor Yvonne B. Burke requests support for legislation and statewide policies to work with manufacturers to reduce product packaging and increase recycling. (Item 5)

 

Acceptance of $1.2 million grant would fund expansion of arts education programs for public school students in the County.   (Item 10)

 

Ordinance would add residential development standards relating to building height limits and landscaping within the Altadena Community Standards District.  (Items 18, 63)

 

Three-year plan submitted to improve services and establish goals for Children and Family Services and Probation Departments.  (Item 22)

 

Supervisors asked to approve development of community-wide home visitation program and related services in effort to identify/address issues that may lead to child abuse.  (Item 28, cont. from 10/21)

 

$15 million proposal would fund site acquisition/construction of 125-unit multi-family rental housing development in East Los Angeles. (Item 31)

 

Exclusive trash franchise recommended for Hacienda Heights.  (Item 34)

 

$2 million proposal calls for installing 6-foot-high steel picket fence along railroad rights-of-way to prevent persistent illegal dumping in Florence-Firestone, East San Gabriel, Rancho Dominguez and Willowbrook.  (Item 36)

 

Proposal would establish educational/vocational skills training, employment search assistance and job placement services for adult probationers with known gang affiliations. (Item 44)

 

Discussion scheduled on the County’s litigation costs, actions taken to reduce exposure during the past year, and goals and objectives for the coming year.  (Items 65, 66, 67, cont. from 10/7, 10/21, 10/28)

 

Supervisors asked to approve plans for 165-unit condominium development in Sand Canyon.  (Item 68)

 

Hearing scheduled on qualifications of Gail Farber, who is being considered for appointment as road commissioner/director of public works, effective Dec. 1 at annual salary of $230,000.   (Item 69)

 

Board in closed session discusses case concerning a challenge to the payment of certain benefits by the County to judges of the Los Angeles Superior Court.   (Item CS-1)

 

Board in closed session discusses lawsuit involving a challenge to the County’s collection of certain property tax administration fees.  (Item CS-2)

 

Board in closed session discusses candidate for appointment to the position of lead attorney, Children’s Special Investigation Unit. (Item CS-3)

 

 

 

-- lacounty.gov --

 

Oriental Fruit Fly Eradication in San Gabriel Valley

On Saturday, November 1, The California Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA) will begin an Oriental Fruit Fly (OFF) eradication
program in portions of Pasadena, San Marino, San Gabriel, Alhambra,
nearby unincorporated areas, and along some borders of Sierra Madre,
Arcadia, and Temple City (see attached map). In mid-August, CDFA
initiated a similar OFF eradication program in the Pasadena-San Marino
area in response to the detection of three specimens of OFF. On
Tuesday, October 28, a male specimen was detected in Pasadena, and on
Wednesday, October 29, a female specimen was detected less than a mile
away in San Marino. These detections are close enough to each other and
close enough to the previous detections to necessitate the renewed
eradication program.

As before, a "male attractant" technique will be employed to combat
this pest. Such a technique presents no inconvenience to community
members. It consists of squirting a small spot of bait onto streetside
tree trunks. Approximately 600 such "bait stations" are placed
approximately six to eight feet up on the poles and trees in each square
mile of the eradication area. Male flies feed on the bait and are
killed by the small amount of Naled pesticide in the bait. No aerial
bait treatments are planned. These treatments will repeat at two-week
intervals for at least four sessions. The previous round of treatments
had ended on October 3.

Oriental Fruit Fly is one of the world's most destructive insect
pests. Its immature, or maggot stage, feeds on hundreds of different
fruits and vegetables. Originally from southeast Asia, it is now found
in Hawaii and other Pacific Islands.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture can be reached at
(818) 901-0719.

Ken Pellman
Public Information Officer
County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commissioner/Weights & Measures
Phone: (626) 579-8589...Fax: (626) 444-3059...E-mail:
kpellman@acwm.lacounty.gov

Patt Morrison Fri, 10/31

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Friday, October 31, 2008

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 1:40

OPEN

 

 

1:40 – 2:00

"They're Evil…They're the Undead" - Bram Stoker's Dracula

America has a fascination with vampires, as evidenced by the popularity of HBO’s new show True Blood and Stephanie Meyer’s "Twilight" series, a teen literary sensation.  But even before Buffy, vampires were a frightening mainstay of American pop culture and it all started with one man…Count Dracula. In "The New Annotated Dracula," Leslie Klinger brings a fresh look to Bram Stoker’s dark hero by examining all the evidence he used to write the vampire novel and unearthing misinterpretations of Stoker’s original manuscript. 

 

Guest:

Leslie S. Klinger, author and editor of "The New Annotated Dracula" and "The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes." 

BY TAPE

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

 

2:00 – 3:00

Comedy Congress

Just four days until election day—do you know who you’re voting for?  If you don’t, this segment will not be of any help.  Comedy Congress has been out on the campaign trail raising money and kissing babies, or kissing money and raising babies, ever since the Republican National Convention.  It’s time to gavel our unruly comedians back to order, and the pickings have been mighty rich lately:  from Barack Obama’s Marxist leanings to the popular debate over the meaning of a “true American”, there’s no shortage of items to skewer during the concluding days of the campaign.  The truth hurts far less when it’s told by comedians.

 

Guests:

Michael Loftus, regular performer on Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”; founder of the traveling improve comedy troupe Midwest Comedy Tool & Die; writer on the ABC series The George Lopez Show; political commentator for the AOL Election Guide 2004

IN STUDIO

 

Andy Kindler, regular performer on Comedy Central, The Late Show with David Letterman and Late Night with Conan O’Brien and a contributor to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart; also did commentary for David Letterman from both the DNC and RNC this summer

IN STUDIO

• Andy will be back on “The Late Show with David Letterman” this Monday, Nov. 3^rd, to introduce a field piece in which he interviews undecided voters.
• You can get the latest on Andy’s local appearances at his website, www.andykindler.com.

 

Maz Jobrani, founding member of the “Axis of Evil” Comedy Tour, which has toured the world; starred in the ABC comedy “Knights of Prosperity”; recurring roles on Fox’s “24” & HBO show “Curb Your Enthusiasm”; appeared on “The Tonight Show w/Jay Leno” and frequently on Comedy Central.

IN STUDIO

 

 

Fundraiser for foster youth at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

 

 

	County of Los Angeles DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES   425 Shatto Place, Los Angeles, California  90020 (213) 351-5602
Board of Supervisors GLORIA MOLINA First District YVONNE B. BURKE Second District ZEV YAROSLAVSKY Third District DON KNABE Fourth District MICHAEL D. ANTONOVICH Fifth District   Patricia S Ploehn, LCSW Director

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 30, 2008

 

 

 

 

MEDIA ADVISORY

 

'Rising Stars' Fundraiser to Benefit Foster Youth to be held at

 the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion on Sunday, November 2^nd

 

 

WHAT:           "Rising Stars" is an annual fundraising benefit supporting underprivileged youth in the performing arts and foster care.  Sponsored by The Teague Family Foundation, proceeds from "Rising Stars" create a brighter future for hundreds of Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) foster youth by providing thousands of dollars in college scholarships.  The funds also help fund the vital music, dance and acting programs provided to underprivileged and at-risk youth by the Negri Learning Center at the Norris Center for the Performing Arts.

 

The evening's festivities include dinner, an auction and a salute to Hollywood musicals by some of the LA's most talented youth.

 

WHO:             ABC Channel 7 sports reporter Rob Fukuzaki and foster youth scholarship recipients.    

 

WHEN:          Sunday, November 2, 2008

5 p.m., cocktails; 6:15 p.m., dinner; 6:45 p.m., youth speakers;

8 p.m. show   

 

WHERE:       The Los Angeles Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

135 North Grand Ave.

Los Angeles, CA 90012

Free parking is available at the Music Center.

 

CONTACT:  Stuart Riskin, DCFS Office of Public Affairs, (213) 351-5872 or Kelly

                       Schmocker, Rising Stars, (310) 831-5891            

 

####

 

 

 

 

 

Funeral Services for Deputy Hamson -- Today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FUNERAL SERVICES FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY

SHERIFF’S DEPUTY RANDY J. HAMSON

 

 

            WHAT:            FUNERAL SERVICES FOR DEPUTY RANDY J. HAMSON, WHO SUCCUMBED TO INJURIES HE SUFFERED ON DUTY WHILE INVESTIGATING A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT ON AUGUST 16, 2004.

 

WHEN:            THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2008, AT 10:00 A.M.

 

WHERE:         CHURCH SERVICE:

                        GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH

22833 COPPER HILL ROAD

                        SAUGUS, CALIFORNIA  91390

                        (THOMAS GUIDE PAGE 4460, H-4)

 

                        INTERMENT IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING AT:

                        ETERNAL VALLEY MEMORIAL PARK

                        23287 SIERRA HIGHWAY

                        SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA  91321

                        (THOMAS GUIDE PAGE 4641, C-3)

 

NOTE: NEWS CAMERAS WILL BE ALLOWED INSIDE THE CHURCH IN A DESIGNATED MEDIA AREA.  A DESIGNATED PARKING AREA FOR NEWS VANS HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AS WELL.  OUT OF RESPECT FOR DEPUTY HAMSON, FAMILY AND FRIENDS WILL GRANT NO INTERVIEWS BEFORE OR AFTER THE MEMORIAL SERVICE.

 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT THE SHERIFF’S HEADQUARTERS BUREAU AT (323) 267-4800.

SHB-134M-08                                                                         X     X     X                                                                   OCTOBER 29, 2008

Patt Morrison Thurs, 10/30

PATT MORRISON SCHEDULE

Thursday, October 30, 2008

1-3 p.m.

 

1:00 – 1:20

OPEN

 

 

 

1:20 – 1:40

IndyMac Loan Modification Program: A Model for Other Banks?

The Federal Government may be nearing a plan of action that would help around 3 million homeowners avoid foreclosure. But many analysts say the government should simply repeat the recent plan the FDIC put in place at failed IndyMac Bank, which has been aggressively modifying troubled home loans since August. Their program has already resulted in more than 15,000 offers to modify customers’ loans and a 75% response rate to those offers. We talk with IndyMac about the success of their program, about using it as a model for other banks, and about getting more customers to participate.

 

Guests:

Evan Wagner: Vice President, Director of Corporate Communications, IndyMac Federal Bank

IN STUDIO

 

TOSS TO ROBERT SATNICK CUT

ENCO # 42155

“satnick cut to toss to with IndyMac”

"The worst thing to do is to just ignore the mail, ignore the phone calls. Speak out to your lenders. If there is a solution, they want to work with you. The banks don’t want to foreclose, nobody wins in a foreclosure."

TRT: 10 sec

 

 

1:40 – 2:00

Leon Panetta (hopefully) Saves California

There are only a few political figures in the country that manage to rise above the partisan rancor that usually colors public policy.  Leon Panetta, former Congressman, director of the Office of Management & Budget and Bill Clinton’s chief of staff, has endeavored in recent years to save California from itself—namely its horribly self-destructive budget process that has mired the state in perpetual budget deficits.  Panetta has argued for drastic, and probably painful, reforms to the state’s budget and political process.  Is it possible to make California’s governance more responsive and accountable to its constituents?

 

Guests:

Leon Panetta, founder & director of the Panetta Institute for Public Policy; former Congressman from Monterey Bay; former White House Chief of Staff under Bill Clinton

ON TAPE

 

 

BILLBOARD CUT

ENCO # 42154

“bb cut hr 2; 10-30 – satnick”

“We did not set out to do harm to any individual. What we wanted to do was continue to help people achieve that American dream.”

TRT: 7 sec

 

 

[NPR NEWS]

 

2:00 – 3:00

From Saviors to Villains: Mortgage Bankers and California’s Real Estate Bubble

It doesn’t seem that long ago when mortgage bankers were happily writing (seemingly) affordable loans for new homeowners and getting buyers into houses that were too good to be true.  Today everyone’s favorite villain is the greedy, duplicitous mortgage banker that suckered vulnerable buyers into crippling adjustable rate mortgages.  Who should shoulder most of the blame for pumping up a dangerously overextended housing bubble?  The president of the California Mortgage Bankers Association steps into the line of fire, with estimates on when foreclosures will level off and to see whether bankers regret their questionable decisions during the boom years.

 

Guests:

Robert Satnick, chairman of the California Mortgage Bankers Association; president & CEO of Prime Financial Services

ON TAPE

 

Thomas Davidoff, professor of economics in the Haas Real Estate Group at U.C. Berkeley

CALL HIM @

 

 

Registrar of Voters Dean Logan op ed piece of the election

 

 

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                  
October 29, 2008                                              CONTACT:        Marcia Ventura (562) 462-2726 or                                                Eileen Shea    (562) 462-2648

Op-Ed

Ready, Set, Vote
Preparing for Election Day

Activity associated with this election has surpassed that of any election in recent history with  voter registration reaching an all time high including many first-time and younger voters.  This is a good sign for the health of our democratic process, but registering is only the first step.  Our future rests in the hands of those eligible citizens who cast a ballot on November 4^th.

Whether you are a long-time or first-time voter, your vote is important.  With the expectation of high voter turnout, there are a few simple steps you can take to help make the voting process work for all of us.

First, review your sample ballot. In addition to the Presidential contest, there are twelve statewide ballot measures and a host of local contests and propositions to be decided.  Reviewing instructions and marking your choices in advance will help keep things moving at the polls.

Second, know where to vote.  It is important to vote at your assigned polling location to ensure you get to vote on all measures and contests pertaining to your neighborhood. Your polling location is listed on the back of your sample ballot or you can look it up online at www.lavote.net.  You can access this information by phone at 1-800-815-2666.

Third, know what is available when you vote. Disability access and multilingual services are available at all polling locations.  If your name is not on the list of voters, you have the right to vote a provisional ballot.  Should this occur, be sure to provide complete information so your eligibility can be verified and your vote counted.

Finally, plan when to vote.  Plan on a little extra waiting time – voting starts at 7:00 a.m. and continues through 8:00 p.m. on November 4^th. For those with the flexibility, mid-day voting is recommended to avoid lines. Any voter in line when the polls close at 8:00 p.m. will be allowed to vote.

If you vote by mail, be sure your voted ballot is returned in time for receipt at the Registrar's Office – or turn it in at any county polling location – by 8:00 p.m. on Election Day. 

For more information about services available to all voters, please visit www.lavote.net.

Remember on Election Day, your vote is your voice.  You count!

 

Dean C. Logan is the Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk for Los Angeles County

 

Persons requiring multilingual assistance in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog/Filipino or Vietnamese regarding information in this press release, can call (800) 481-8683.

Art work of 40 Rancho Los Amigos patients showcased

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                          Contact:          Cheryl Guinn

                                                                                                                        Rancho Los Amigos

                                                                                                                        562-401-8214

                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                               

 

Rancho Los Amigos to Host Annual Exhibition of Patient Art

 

 

DOWNEY – October 29, 2008 - Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center invites the public to visit the Twelfth Annual “Art of Rancho” show.

 

This art exhibition is a showcase of beautiful art work presented by more than 40 Rancho patients, and will feature mouthstick painting demonstrations, a chance to create your own marbeling art, and more.  Some of the artists’ work will be available for purchase.

 

This free public exhibit can be seen on Friday, November 7, 2008 at Rancho Los Amigos, located at 7601 East Imperial Highway, Downey, California in the Support Services Annex.

 

The exhibit hours are from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  Parking is available in the parking structure adjacent to the Support Services Annex building.  Nearest cross streets are Imperial Highway and Old River School Road.

 

The Public is invited!

 

 

 

***

 

 

Antelope Valley Area Plan Update Meeting

NEWS  RELEASE    Contact:  Mitch Glaser, Department of Regional Planning, (213) 974-6476                                                                             October 29, 2008   County Hosts Town & Country Valleywide Presentation   The Los Angeles County Department of Regional Planning continues with Town & Country, an effort to update the Antelope Valley Area Plan, by hosting a Valleywide Presentation.  The Area Plan, last updated in 1986, governs land use in the unincorporated areas of the Valley and must be revised to reflect current conditions and to guide the growth and change that will occur over the next 20 years.   Over the course of the summer, Town & Country participants have worked diligently to provide input on how they see the Antelope Valley changing.  In a series of three meetings, they identified land use and service issues that pose daily challenges, drafted recommended goals and policies to address those issues, and prioritized their needs.    At the Valleywide Presentation taking place on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 7:00pm at the Chimbole Cultural Center in Palmdale, community members will share their recommendations for future plans for the Antelope Valley.  Everyone living and working in the Antelope Valley is encouraged to attend and provide their insight into how future change should occur.     Date and location for the “Town & Country Valleywide Presentation” is as follows:   Wednesday, November 5, 2008 7:00pm Chimbole Cultural Center Manzanita Ballroom 38350 Sierra Highway Palmdale, CA    For more information on Town & Country, call (213) 974-6476 or e-mail tnc@planning.lacounty.gov.   The project also has a website at http://planning.lacounty.gov/tnc.   ###

Note to media: The Department of Planning is closed on Fridays.

City Hall's "Affordable Housing" Bait And Switch: 15% Ordinance Repealed

City Hall's "Affordable Housing" Bait And Switch: 15% Ordinance Repealed By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com October 29, 2008 Villaraigosa and the City Council have just made it crystal clear that the term "affordable housing" is nothing but a bait-and-switch catch-phrase they use to dupe you into supporting programs to give your tax dollars to subsidize developers who contribute to their campaigns, and tonexempt their projects from the zoning laws that have protected our low-rise, low-density architecture for decades. Here's the latest example: On October 23, 2008, Villaraigosa signed into law Ordinance 180308, which the City Council passed on a 13-0 vote on October 15, 2008. This ordinance is remarkable because it repealed Municipal Code Section 12.39. That ordinance, in turn, had required developers who got various breaks from the City to make 15% of their units "affordable." Specifically, Section 12.39 had required developers to "make every reasonable effort to develop at least 6 per cent of the total number of units in the development at a cost which would allow them to be rented or sold as low-income dwelling units at the fair market value and at least an additional 9 per cent of the total number of units in the development at a cost which would allow them to be rented or sold as low or moderate income dwelling units at the fair market value." Villaraigosa and the City Council have now repealed that requirement altogether -- and to repeal it retroactively. The new ordinance specifically states: "Any and all Agreements for Development of Units for Lease or Sale ('15% Ordinance'), or such similar agreements, entered into pursuant to Section 12.39 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code are released and rescinded and are of no further force and effect." So all the developers who benefited from your tax money and other breaks no longer have to provide the public benefit they were supposed to deliver in return. They got the quid, but we're not getting the pro quo. We don't have a city of, for and by the people. We have a city of, for and by the developers. Their interests are fully represented at City Hall. Ours are not. And don't count on the local media to cover stories like this. With the exception of Doug McIntyre, Kevin James, Al Rantel and Terry Anderson, the local media provide the same kind of informative and balanced coverage on local politics that Tokyo Rose provided on World War II. If you want a Mayor who will protect your interests as taxpaying American citizens, and who will fight to protect your quality of life, I'm your man. Click here to contribute.

City Hall's "Affordable Housing" Bait And Switch: 15% Ordinance Repealed

City Hall's "Affordable Housing" Bait And Switch: 15% Ordinance Repealed By Walter Moore, Candidate for Mayor of Los Angeles, WalterMooreForMayor.com October 29, 2008 Villaraigosa and the City Council have just made it crystal clear that the term "affordable housing" is nothing but a bait-and-switch catch-phrase they use to dupe you into supporting programs to give your tax dollars to subsidize developers who contribute to their campaigns, and tonexempt their projects from the zoning laws that have protected our low-rise, low-density architecture for decades. Here's the latest example: On October 23, 2008, Villaraigosa signed into law Ordinance 180308, which the City Council passed on a 13-0 vote on October 15, 2008. This ordinance is remarkable because it repealed Municipal Code Section 12.39. That ordinance, in turn, had required developers who got various breaks from the City to make 15% of their units "affordable." Specifically, Section 12.39 had required developers to "make every reasonable effort to develop at least 6 per cent of the total number of units in the development at a cost which would allow them to be rented or sold as low-income dwelling units at the fair market value and at least an additional 9 per cent of the total number of units in the development at a cost which would allow them to be rented or sold as low or moderate income dwelling units at the fair market value." Villaraigosa and the City Council have now repealed that requirement altogether -- and to repeal it retroactively. The new ordinance specifically states: "Any and all Agreements for Development of Units for Lease or Sale ('15% Ordinance'), or such similar agreements, entered into pursuant to Section 12.39 of the Los Angeles Municipal Code are released and rescinded and are of no further force and effect." So all the developers who benefited from your tax money and other breaks no longer have to provide the public benefit they were supposed to deliver in return. They got the quid, but we're not getting the pro quo. We don't have a city of, for and by the people. We have a city of, for and by the developers. Their interests are fully represented at City Hall. Ours are not. And don't count on the local media to cover stories like this. With the exception of Doug McIntyre, Kevin James, Al Rantel and Terry Anderson, the local media provide the same kind of informative and balanced coverage on local politics that Tokyo Rose provided on World War II. If you want a Mayor who will protect your interests as taxpaying American citizens, and who will fight to protect your quality of life, I'm your man. Click here to contribute.

Current Scam: Fake Checks

Wendy L. Watanabe Acting Auditor-Controller County of Los Angeles Auditor-Controller’s Office

Pastor Herrera, Jr. Director County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs

PRESS ADVISORY

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Contact: Pastor Herrera, Jr., Director, 213-974-9750

 

THIEVES US            E FAKE COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES-LOOK-ALIKE CHECKS TO SCAM VICTIMS OUT OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS

 

As fake check scams proliferate and get more sophisticated in nature, more and more unsuspecting consumers are losing thousands of dollars to this financially harmful scam.

 

A current scam targeting seniors across Southern California uses fake checks that appear to be from the County of Los Angeles to lure victims into wiring money to thieves in Canada.

 

One vigilant consumer asked the Los Angeles County Department of the Auditor-Controller to verify the legitimacy of a County check he received.  Auditor-Controller staff determined that the check was counterfeit. Further investigation discovered the existence of an elaborate fake check scam.

 

Here is how the scam works.  The victim, usually a senior citizen, receives an official-looking “final notice” claiming to be from “Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.” The notice tells the victim that he won a lottery prize, and urges him to call immediately to claim his winnings. When the victim calls, the “official” tells him that he has to pay a customs fee. To reassure the victim, the thief offers to mail him a check, and asks him to deposit the check in his bank account and wire the funds back to claim his prize.

 

The victim then receives a check that looks like it was issued by the County of Los Angeles. Convinced this is the real thing, the victim deposits the check and wires the money via MoneyGram to British Columbia, Canada. Days later, the victim’s bank tells him that the check bounced and he needs to pay the money. The victim, of course, never gets the prize.

 

Los Angeles County officials say that fake check scams are on the rise. “Recent surveys show that fake check scams rank on the top five consumer scams,” said Pastor Herrera, Jr., Director of the County of Los Angeles Department of Consumer Affairs. “Consumers must protect themselves against these scams because once they wire money to thieves it is virtually impossible to get it back.”

 

Herrera offers these tips for consumers to spot and avoid fake check scams:

 

·         Never wire money to strangers. There is no reason for someone to pay you by check and ask you to wire back some of the money

 

·         Fake checks look real. Even some bank tellers are fooled by some fake checks. However, just because the bank accepts the fake check and releases the funds, it doesn’t mean the check is good. It can take weeks for the bank to find out and tell you that the check is bad.

 

·         You are responsible for fake checks you deposit. When a fake check bounces, the bank will deduct money from your account or even sue you to recover the funds. If you deposit a check you know is fake, you can be prosecuted.

 

·         It is very hard to get your money back. Thieves often live in other countries out of the reach of U.S. authorities. Your best protection is not to send them money no matter what they promise you.

 

·         If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Don’t believe promises that you won a lottery or drawing you never entered.

Victims and people who need information on fake check scams can call the Department of Consumer Affairs at 800-593-8222, 500 W. Temple St., Room B-6, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Website: dca.lacounty.gov.