New Orleans still waiting for an L.A. producer to produce

Have you seen the documentary series on a hurricane recovery project in New Orleans?  Well, no one has apparently even though a Los Angeles-based firm founded by producer Damon Harman received $1.2 million in Louisiana tax credits to help finance the series. There's also no sign of the $10 million that Harman promised to raise back in 2006 to build a new community center and restore a city park, which was to be the focus of the series, according to a story in the Times Picayune.

"When third parties come in and are willing to assist the city in its recovery effort, they should certainly be thanked and absolutely not rejected out of hand," Councilman-at-large Arnie Fielkow said. "But as evidenced by this case, careful due diligence needs to be performed, so that the expectation levels of citizens are not falsely raised."

-- Jesus Sanchez

Photo: Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times