Local News: April

Deputy Police Chief Kenneth O. Garner Passing Tribute

More than 3,000 people attended the South L.A. funeral of Deputy Police Chief Kenneth O. Garner who served the LAPD for more than three decades.  Garner, the second-highest-ranking black officer in the department, passed away at his Pasadena home.  The tribute was held at the Crenshaw Christian Center where Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and state Senator Rod Wright spoke.

 

National Mass Transit Costs Surge

As gas prices soared, so did the use of mass transit. Passenger levels during 2008 hit peaks not seen since 1957, up 4% from 2007. 2008 turned out to be a very good year for Southern California transit agencies who have reported increased revenues from the more than 10.7 billion riders in 2008.  Also on the rise, Orange County Transportation Authority buses and Metrolink commuter trains set records too.

 

FBI Looking For Clues In Vehicle Firebombing 

A vehicle owned by a UCLA neuroscientist was firebombed by an anti-animal research group for using primates in his study of psychiatric disorders.  The incident took place outside the man’s home and no injuries were reported, according to FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.  This was the latest in a series of firebombing and other aggressive acts aimed at university researchers who use animals in medical studies.  Other police reports show that firebombs were left on doorsteps and in homes, vehicles were vandalized, and threatening phone calls and e-mails were received.

 

A Second Term for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Antonio Villaraigosa won his second term as Mayor with strong support on the Eastside and in Wilmington. The San Fernando Valley, however, showed less confidence in another term for the Mayor and delivered a ‘No’ vote.  Final numbers had Villaraigosa winning with 55.6% of the vote though a mere 15% of registered voters actually voted. 

 

Non-Beverly Hills Residents & BHUSD

Months of heated debate over non-Beverly Hills residents attending the city’s schools under special permits is over, as trustees gave the issue a thumbs up.  The district receives $6,114 in state funding per year for each student enrolled, although BHUSD is fast becoming one of California’s few districts that rely on local property taxes rather than aid based on student attendance.  If that happens the financial incentive to enroll non-residents will diminish. 

 

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Gets A New Tower 

The L.A. Planning Commission approved plans for the construction of a 200,000 square-foot expansion tower at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center that will include 100 new patient beds and 700 parking spaces.  Additional plans were approved for rezoning a vacant property next to the L.A. Public Library in Westwood for a city park.

 

John Mirisch & Willie Brien Win City Council Seats

John Mirisch, a film distributor who, in the past, ruffled the city’s political feathers with his ‘Blog Beverly Hills, won a narrow victory for a seat on the Beverly Hills City Council.  Mirisch walked away with 2,272 votes (14.11%) defeating veteran Councilwoman Linda Briskman.  At the top of Mirisch’s priority list is the quality of the city’s schools and the over-scaled development occurring in Beverly Hills that has diminished the small-town charisma the makes the city a stand out.  Willie Brien, Chief of Staff at Cedars-Sinai and grandson of the late Earl Warren (former California governor and chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court) also walked away with a City Council seat. Brien took in 18.49% of the votes. Prior to this election he served on the school board as park commissioner.  Current Councilman Barry Brucker was re-elected with 19.38% of the votes.

 

Free Pet Spaying & Neutering: A No Go 

Almost six months after L.A. city stated that pets had to be spayed or neutered, a voucher system providing the free service to low-income owners has been eliminated.  Also eliminated was the distribution of $30 coupons for sterilization procedures.  State budget cuts were behind the decision, said department General Manager Ed Boks. The end of the voucher program will save the state $150,000 in spending.  Supporters of animal welfare were not happy over the abrupt decision. The spay-neuter law was passed last year to help lower and eventually eliminate euthanasia rates at animal shelters.

 

L.A. Prepares For A Water Shortage

Serious warnings that L.A. will probably face a water shortage this summer have come to light.  LADWP will raise its rates and have approved severe penalties for residents who don’t cut their water use by 15%.  This does not apply to low-income residents whose rates will remain the same, but owners of larger homes and lots can expect a hike of  $11 a month on their bill.  Rate increases will take effect on June 1, 2009 and will remain in effect year-round.

 

Beverly Hills Library Gets High Scores

Congrats to the Beverly Hills Public Library which ranked in the top 12 of 1,116 libraries in California by the Library Journal and was listed in the top three percent of 7,000 libraries nationwide. The Beverly Hills Public Library was one of the noted 256 libraries to earn a ranking of three to five stars. Rankings included circulation, visits, total program attendance and public internet terminal use.

 

President Obama Checks In At The Beverly Hilton Hotel

New to the Presidential Suite at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, President Barrack Obama checked in while visiting Los Angeles as part of his tour through Southern California, including a pit stop at The Tonight Show. The luxury digs have also hosted former Presidents Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy. The Presidential Suite covers 1,870 square feet and includes a master bedroom and living room, 42-inch plasma televisions, a 13-inch LCD screen in the spa bathroom, a patio, fireplace, library area and amazing views of the Beverly Hills Business Triangle and Wilshire Boulevard. 

 

Beverly Hills Elections

The new Beverly Hills City Council and City Treasurer took the oath of office recently in a community installation ceremony.  The community ceremony and reception was held at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn.  Council member Nancy Krasne was sworn in as Mayor; Councilmember Jimmy Delshad became Vice Mayor and current Vice Mayor Barry Brucker was sworn in for his second term of office.  Eliot Finkel also took on his second, four-year term as City Treasurer.

 

A New Outdoor Sculpture

Beverly Hills was first in line to pick an outdoor sculpture by acclaimed New York artist Roxy Paine.  The City’s Public Art Fund picked up the $ 342,800 tab for the sculpture.  Additional fees of $10,000-$15,000 are estimated for transportation, installation, future   maintenance, lighting and ongoing display of the art piece. The stainless steel boulder measuring 7 feet tall by 15 feet wide offers reference to a rock carried by a glacier hundreds of miles away from its original geographic location.  Paine’s work is exhibited around the world, is on permanent display in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and will be installed in Beverly Gardens Park in Beverly Hills this summer. 

 

Dante Nicholson Pleads Guilty To Hospital/Homeless Scam

Dante Nicholson, 51, of Palmdale, pleaded guilty to offering money used for illegal kickbacks to recruiters who would take homeless patients from skid row to the hospital, where they would receive services that were not necessary.  Nicholson, former senior vice president of City of Angels Medical Center, is the third person convicted in the scheme to defraud Medicare and Medi-Cal.  If Nicholson is convicted the charges carry a maximum of 10 years in federal prison.