L.A. stadium bill introduced, draws criticism

State lawmakers on Friday submitted legislation that would expedite any legal challenges to a proposed football stadium in downtown Los Angeles, and the measure drew objections from some environmentalists in and out of the Legislature.

Assembly Speaker John Perez and state Sen. Alex Padilla, both Democrats from Los Angeles, said their bill would balance the need to uphold environmental laws with they necessity to help a project by Anschutz Entertainment Group that could create more than 10,000 jobs.

"It would pave the way for the most environmentally friendly sports stadium in the country in addition to putting thousands of people to work," said Padilla. Fourteen other Assembly members and 11 senators, both Republicans and Democrats, have signed on as co-authors.

But with just four working days next week to act on legislation for the year, many legislators had not seen the bill's language, and some said they are in no rush to make a decision by Sept. 9,  which AEG has said is necessary to avoid jeopardizing the project.

"I think it's more important that we get it done right than we get it done fast," said Sen. Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto), chairman of the chamber's Environmental Quality Committee. "Whenever someone tries to sell you something and sets an artificial deadline, it's time to remember the old adage 'buyer beware.'"'

Simitian said he is "encouraged" that the bill does not exempt the stadium from the state environmental laws and requires a full environmental impact report, but he added that "I have not seen a piece of paper" containing the bill's language.

As those details emerged, an attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, who had tentatively supported the idea of an expedited court-review process on Thursday, said there are too many loopholes for the group to support the bill in its current form.

The bill does not contain strong enough language to make sure AEG meets goals for reducing air pollution and traffic congestion in a timely way, said David Pettit, senior attorney with the environmental group.

The deal, as proposed, would "give AEG special treatment in return for things that AEG would need to do anyway," Pettit said in a statement. "This weak, last-minute, backroom deal is a missed opportunity for Los Angeles and a dangerous precedent for California.  It can and should be fixed."

-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento

L.A. congresswoman attacks tea party

Speaking at a jobs forum Saturday in Inglewood, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles) came out swinging against Republicans in Congress.

A day after new statistics were released showing a rise in California's jobless rate -- the second-highest in the nation -- Waters vowed to push Congress to focus on creating more jobs. "I'm not afraid of anybody," said Waters. "This is a tough game. You can't be intimidated. You can't be frightened. And as far as I'm concerned, the 'tea party' can go straight to hell."

L.A. Now has the full story: Rep. Maxine Waters: 'The tea party can go straight to hell'

Photo: Congresswoman Maxine Waters. Credit: Harry Hamburg / Associated Press

Villaraigosa against waiving environmental rules for NFL stadium

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa expressed skepticism Tuesday that the Legislature would give a proposed NFL stadium downtown an exemption from environmental lawsuits.

"I don’t think they are going to do that, and I don’t think they should," Villaraigosa said in an interview with reporters in The Times' Sacramento bureau. "I think the public wants a level of transparency, and I think we’ve had it up to now."

Stadium developer Anschutz Entertainment Group is working on state legislation to limit the type of legal challenges that could be pursued based on environmental issues.

AEG Chief Executive Tim Leiweke said last week his firm is asking for "protection from frivolous lawsuits from those who are trying to get a competitive advantage or those who are just trying to destroy the process."

Legislation has not yet been introduced, but a state Senate committee is holding a public hearing next week to determine whether lawmakers should grant AEG protection from lawsuits similar to what they approved for a competing football stadium proposed in the City of Industry.

Read more about Villaraigosa and the proposed football stadium on the L.A. Now blog.

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California redistricting: New districts OKd by citizens panel

Jerry Brown seeks to scuttle high-paid job for ex-GOP leader

Former Assemblyman Richard E. 'Dick' Floyd, 80, passes away

-- Patrick McGreevy

Photo: L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Magic Johnson give their support to the proposed NFL stadium downtown. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Candidates queue for Hahn's council spot

Even before Democrat Janice Hahn won a South Bay congressional seat Tuesday, candidates to replace her on the Los Angeles City Council had made their intentions known. Read about it here.

 

Padilla opts not to run for L.A. mayor

State Sen. Alex Padilla told The Times on Tuesday that he will stay put rather than enter the race to become Los Angeles' mayor. Our colleagues at L.A. Now have the full story: State Sen. Padilla says he won't run for L.A. mayor

Former U.S. Rep. Jane Harman to receive inaugural parks foundation award

Former Democratic Rep. Jane Harman of Venice, whose decision to quit Congress in February touched off a 16-candidate special election, is scheduled to receive the Los Angeles Parks Foundation's first annual Rose Award on Thursday.

 A representative of the foundation, which raises money for city parks, said it established the award to "honor women who have distinguished themselves through their work improving the quality of life for city residents."

Harman, who for nine terms represented the largely coastal 36th Congressional District, was cited for "protecting the California coast and serving as a forceful advocate for the region's vital economic interests."

She resigned, less than four months after her re-election last fall, to head the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C.  A special primary will be held May 17 and, if no one wins a majority then, the top two finishers will compete in a July 12 runoff.

Harman will receive her award at a luncheon in the Exposition Park Rose Garden.  Featured guests will include Roz Wyman, who in 1953 became he first woman elected to the Los Angeles City Council.

-- Jean Merl

 

 

 

 

 

Today is your last chance to register to vote in March 8 elections

Today is the last day to register to vote in March 8 elections that will be conducted in 30 Southland cities, the largest of them Los Angeles.

Voters can register or re-register by filling out and mailing forms that can be picked up at libraries, post offices, fire stations, Department of Motor Vehicles offices and other public buildings. Those forms must be postmarked Feb. 22.

L.A. voters will consider 10 ballot measures and candidates for seven open seats on the City Council, as well as a handful of school board and community college offices. To get the latest election news, candidate comments and editorial endorsements, check out The Times' elections page.

In the tiny city of Bell, meanwhile, voters will elect three City Council members and decide whether to recall four others in the wake of a salary scandal that has made national headlines.

And in the Orange County city of San Clemente, voters will consider a development proposed for the North Beach area. For details, check the Orange County election website.

Voter registration is also required for residents of the various communities outside Los Angeles who want to cast ballots for the Los Angeles Unified School District board of education or the Los Angeles Community College District board of trustees.

Ballots are also available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese. For more information, call (213) 978-0444 or toll-free at (888) 873-1000, or check the Los Angeles City Election Division’s website.

-- David Zahniser

L.A. County prosecutor Alan Jackson jumps into 2012 D.A.'s race

Deputy Dist. Atty. Alan Jackson isn't wasting any time applying with voters to be Los Angeles County's top prosecutor -- in 2012.

Jackson, a 16-year prosecutor, on Monday announced his candidacy for district attorney, hoping to succeed his boss, Steve Cooley.

Cooley, who last month narrowly lost the race for state attorney general, said last week he would not rule out running for a fourth term as D.A. He said he would consider seeking reelection if no qualified candidates stepped forward or some "undeserving and unworthy" contenders appeared likely to win. He said he would thoroughly evaluate candidates before endorsing anyone, and that to get his backing, a contender must be a prosecutor committed to running a nonpartisan office.

Jackson political consultant John S. Thomas, who managed Cooley's D.A. campaigns, said his client has a "very, very strong" relationship with Cooley, who has chosen Jackson as the lead prosecutor on several big cases. They include the successful prosecutions of former music mogul Phil Spector and the murderer of Lily Burk, the high school student who was abducted and killed while running an errand for her mother.

The new candidate's website, www.votealanjackson.com, says he was chosen Prosecutor of the Year in 2008 by the Assn. of Deputy District Attorneys and received the same designation in 2010 from the Los Angeles County Bar Assn.

-- Jean Merl

Alex Padilla says he's weighing a run for L.A. mayor in 2013

State Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) said Wednesday that he is considering running for Los Angeles mayor when the post comes open in 2013.

"I'm definitely looking at it," Padilla said in response to a question at a downtown luncheon meeting of the Los Angeles Current Affairs Forum.  "Los Angeles is my home."

Padilla, who won election last week to a second four-year term in the  Senate, is a former member of the Los Angeles City Council. He was first elected to the council  in 1999 at age 26. Two years later, he became the first Latino -- and the youngest council member -- to be elected council president.

His acknowledgement that he is interested in the mayor's post came after a talk about the post-election prospects for state leaders to resolve the fast-growing state budget gap and other issues in the coming year.

Padilla predicted that Democratic Gov.-elect Jerry Brown would be more effective in dealing with the polarized, Democrat-dominated Legislature than was Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, not just because of party but also because Brown has vastly more political experience.

Brown has "more of a respect and appreciation for the art of governing," Padilla said. Nonetheless, if Brown "can't get traction" with the Legislature, he won't hesitate to take his initiatives directly to voters, the senator said.

Padilla also said he could envision a scenario in which voters would be asked this spring to choose between two budgets: one made up largely of program cuts and a second combining cuts and measures that would improve revenues.  During the campaign, Brown promised not to raise taxes without voter approval.

-- Jean Merl