8.26.08 - 1PM Update

TRAGIC NEWS Regarding Dr. Dre's Son...
[Pictured: Dr. Dre (Aka: Andre Young)]Son of rap producer Dr. Dre found dead; Andre Young Jr. was 20from Los Angeles Times - Top NewsYoung had been out with friends the night before his mother found him unresponsive.


Measure R and the law: If you don't like City Hall corruption, you better do something about it
via Ron Kaye L.A. by Ron Kaye on 8/26/08
Too bad lawyers don't have to take an oath to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth when they argue their cases before judges.If they did, Antonio Villaraigosa's long-time campaign treasurer Stephen Kaufman would not have told the panel of state appellate judges the things he did today or he'd be worried about perjury charges instead of the handsome fees he'll charge the League of Women Voters and the L..A. Chamber of Commerce he represented....

A ruling could come in a few days or a few weeks. I'm not hopeful the judges will blow up the corruption of City Hall that was so plain to see. As Flores argued in so many words: If the public doesn't like it, let them do something about it.

Suspected Griffith Park Arsonist Charged With 4 Felony Counts
via knbc.com - Los Angeles Local News on 8/26/08
A convicted arsonist has been charged with four felony counts of arson in connection with a series of fires in Griffith Park.

L.A. County poverty rate fell in 2007, census data show
via Los Angeles Times - Top News on 8/26/08
Other Southern California counties also show slight declines. The effects of the sharp economic downturn and rising unemployment since last year are unclear. The rate of poverty in Los Angeles County fell last year, and median income levels rose slightly, even as the mortgage meltdown and rising fuel prices were beginning to slow the economy, according to new census data.

$800 Million Universal City Development Proposal Scrutinized
via knbc.com - Los Angeles Local News on 8/26/08
A proposed $800 million development in Universal City that would include a new home for NBC studios would add at least 14,000 car trips per day to the already clogged southeast San Fernando Valley, according to an environmental study.

CA Senate to Vote on Proposed Sales Tax Hike
via News And Video KTLA - Los Angeles CW Source Covering Los Angeles News and Entertainment and showing the hottest LA Video KTLA The CW Where LA Lives - News on 8/26/08
SACRAMENTO -- The State Senate is expected to take up a bill today that would allow a proposed half-cent sales tax for Los Angeles County transportation projects to be on the Nov. 4 ballot.

Santa Barbara Co. Supervisors Expected to Back Offshore Oil Drilling
via News And Video KTLA - Los Angeles CW Source Covering Los Angeles News and Entertainment and showing the hottest LA Video KTLA The CW Where LA Lives - News on 8/26/08
Nearly 40 years after a disastrous oil spill off the Santa Barbara coast galvanized the nation and gave birth to the modern environmental movement, the county Board of Supervisors is poised to vote today in support of offshore drilling.

Downtown Freeway Taggers Go Black: Via a downtown friend, we get...
via Curbed LA by jwilliams on 8/26/08
Via a downtown friend, we get news about a new spate of tagging on freeway signs. "...taggers have really gone overboard downtown today... where the 110 and the 101 meet and there is the exit for 6th st / 4th st / Wilshire Blvd... the taggers not only spray painted all over every single highway sign BUT they also spray painted the signs black first before writing on them causing a massive traffic backup because no one knows where to exit... the painting of the sign black first is what got me..."

West Los Angeles residents on alert over what they call a mini-crime wave
via L.A. Times - California Local News on 8/26/08
They are banding together to rejuvenate Neighborhood Watch groups and sending out e-mail updates. With violent crime down, police share concerns, but say there's no reason to pack up and leave. When Terri Tippit opened the door of her Rancho Park home last week, a man stood before her and introduced himself as part of a "literacy program." Then he asked if she was a teacher like her neighbor. Tippit, who was home alone, was suspicious -- how did a stranger know her neighbor was a teacher?


Fed Minutes: Next Move Is to Boost Interest Rates
via CNBC Top News and Analysis on 8/26/08

Sunset Junction Festival: Bad Press Continues: First, LAist.com reveals that last weekend's...
via Curbed LA by Dakota on 8/26/08
First, LAist.com reveals that last weekend's event may indeed have been an official FREE EVENT. (The blog digs up an official document noting just that.) Yesterday, a reader sent in some thoughts to Curbed on the event, noting the once-happy festival has turned into a "strange spectacle of empty streets and thuggy security guards. And $20 for what's supposed to be a neighborhood togetherness event? Aside from the suspicious and defensive nature of the promoter's response to any request for accountability, the big issue remains: why can they charge at all? I'd been under the impression that because this is held on a public street, it's supposed to be open for all and any ticket prices are to be donation only. Time to break this thing open and get the real story --- or call it off."

Bratton: Medical Marijuana Guidelines Will Help 'Restore Some Sanity'
via knbc.com - Los Angeles Local News on 8/26/08
Chief William Bratton says the attorney general's medical marijuana guidelines will help "restore some sanity to a situation that is total insanity."

Fed fretted inflation
via Business and financial news - CNNMoney.com on 8/26/08
The Federal Reserve expressed concern about both greater inflation risks and a slowdown in the economy that could extend into next year, according to minutes of its most recent meeting.

Census: 3 O.C. cities rank near top in U.S. income
via The Orange County Register - Homepage on 8/26/08
Newport Beach, Yorba Linda and Irvine among the Top 10.

Breaking News: Governor Agrees to Sign High-Speed Rail Bill
via Streetsblog by Damien Newton on 8/26/08
As we continue to await word on whether we'll be able to vote on Metro's sales tax proposal, alternative transportation advocates did get some good news out of Sacramento earlier today. Governor Schwarzenegger, who famously declared he would veto all legislation that didn't have to do with the state budget, reversed course and said he would sign enabling legislation to placing a bonding measure to build a high-speed rail line from San Francisco to Los Angeles.

Governor to sign high-speed rail bill, Bee reports
via Bottleneck Blog on 8/26/08
Within the last hour, the Sacramento Bee is reporting that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has retreated -- perhaps temporarily -- from his threat to veto all legislation that comes to his desk until a budget deal is reached. Instead, Schwarzenegger has indicated that he will sign AB 3034, a bill that provides financial oversight by the Legislature if voters approve a $9.95-billion bond for high-speed rail on Nov. 4.

FAA: Communication breakdown delaying flights
via KABC - Los Angeles - Southern California - LA Breaking News, Weather, Traffic, Sports on 8/26/08
A communication failure at a facility that processes flight plans is causing flight delays around the country.

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