Judge rejects bid to sidestep L.A. contribution limit [Updated]

A federal judge turned down the request today of a political committee with close ties to the Department of Water and Power employee unions that had sought to bar the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission from enforcing a campaign contribution limit.

The group, Working Californians, said the law was preventing it from making independent expenditures for Los Angeles City Council candidate Christine Essel in her Dec. 8  runoff against Assemblyman Paul Krekorian.

Independent groups have spent more than $542,000 to boost Essel’s bid for the San Fernando Valley council seat of former Councilwoman Wendy Greuel in the last few weeks. Greuel is now city controller.

Working Californians, which is co-chaired by the heads of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 11 and Local 18, had challenged a 1985 city law stating that a political committee cannot accept contributions greater than $500 if it intends to use that money on an independent expenditure for a city candidate. Working Californians claimed that the provision violated its free speech rights and asked the court to intervene immediately.

The executive director of the Ethics Commission had argued that the city’s contribution limits were intended “to limit corruption and the appearance of corruption so that voters can have faith in the electoral process."

Group tied to DWP employee union sues L.A. Ethics Commission to block fundraising limit [Updated]

A nonprofit group closely tied to the Department of Water and Power employee union has filed a federal lawsuit against the City’s Ethics Commission, saying a city campaign fundraising law is unfairly limiting its ability to advocate on behalf of City Council candidate Christine Essel.
 
The case comes during a two-week period when outside groups have poured more than $280,000 into independent expenditures to boost Essel’s bid to replace former City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, who is now city controller. Among those groups is the political arm of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 18, which has spent more than $93,000 in support of Essel’s campaign. The union is headed by Brian D’Arcy.

Working Californians, the group suing the city, is co-chaired by D’Arcy and Marvin Kropke, the business manager of IBEW Local 11. The group devised the solar energy proposal known as Measure B on the March ballot, which was supported by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa but was defeated by voters. And D’Arcy showed his political clout last month when he negotiated a five-year package of raises for DWP employees at a time when the police union agreed to forgo pay increases for two years because of the city’s budget crisis.
 
The legal challenge is to a 1985 city law that bars political committees from accepting contributions of more than $500 if the group plans to use that money to make an independent expenditure for a city candidate.
 
In practice, the law prevents outside groups or individuals from contributing to each other to pay for independent expenditures that support city candidates. Contributions that are not earmarked for a specific city campaign are not subject to that $500 limit. (If violations are suspected, the City Ethics Commission’s enforcement division determines whether a contribution was for an independent expenditure).
 
In a court hearing Thursday, Working Californians plans to ask a judge to immediately bar the Ethics Commission from enforcing what it characterizes as an unconstitutional violation of their free speech rights. If they are successful, it could open the door for a flood of outside contributions, not only in the Dec. 8 contest between Essel and Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, but in future city elections.
 

Carly Fiorina announces her GOP candidacy for U.S. Senate

Former Hewlett-Packard chief executive Carly Fiorina announced her candidacy for the U.S. Senate in the California Republican primary, arguing that her business experience made her the only viable candidate to challenge Democratic incumbent Barbara Boxer.

"If it isn't obvious to you by now, let me make it official today: I am a candidate to serve you as your U.S. senator,” Fiorina said, speaking to a small gathering of supporters in the Garden Grove warehouse of Earth Friendly Products, which makes green home products like phosphate-free detergent.

Fiorina, whose hair was shorn close to her scalp after a nine-month battle with breast cancer, said she expected the race to get ugly. "I have to say, after chemotherapy, Barbara Boxer just isn't that scary," she said. "She has always taken the low road to higher office, so get ready. But it's OK, I can take a punch and I can throw a punch."

The Republican candidate called for smaller government, decreased spending and increased transparency. She pledged not to raise taxes and decried the "rabid partisanship" in Washington. She excoriated Boxer's legislative record and said the Democrat's positions have killed jobs in California.

Boxer has the edge in Democratic-leaning California, but Fiorina's entry means the race will be among the most closely watched in the nation. The charismatic former business leader could be Boxer's greatest challenge since her election to the Senate in 1992. But that's if Fiorina emerges the victor in what is likely to be a bruising Republican primary.

She announced her candidacy in Orange County, home turf of the conservative assemblyman who is her only challenger in the primary. The battle between Fiorina and Chuck Devore (R-Irvine) reflects a greater ideological debate that is dividing Republicans across the nation, and led to the loss of a Republican House seat in upstate New York on Tuesday.

Devore, 47, is a long-term conservative who is well-known in state GOP circles, but has little name recognition across the state and may not have the financial wherewithal to fully compete against Fiorina. Fiorina, 54, has no elective experience but is viewed by some as the strategic choice who would have a better chance taking on Boxer because of her more moderate views and her deep pockets. Fiorina has vast personal wealth -- her HP severance alone exceeded $21 million after six rocky years as chief executive.

But upheaval during her tenure at the company, a spotty voting record and her new arrival to politics make some wary of her. Democrats seized on these issues to paint Fiorina as an inept businesswoman who got rich off the backs of workers, and as out of touch with ordinary people.

"The last thing Californians need in a U.S. senator is a failed CEO who was fired by her last employer after taking $100 million for herself," said John Burton, chairman of the California Democratic Party. Fiorina today said critics are mischaracterizing her resume, and that her work at HP laid the foundation for the company's current success.

She said her business background and lack of political experience make her a D.C. outsider and only "viable" Republican challenger. She also has repeatedly apologized for not voting but also explained it was because she felt unconnected to politicians. "Shame on me," she said.

--Seema Mehta in Garden Grove

Photo: Carly Fiorina, center, takes a tour with Earth Friendly Products Vice President Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks at a town hall meeting at Earth Friendly Products in Garden Grove. Credit: Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times

Carly Fiorina to announce run for U.S. Senate

Former Hewlett-Packard Chief Executive Carly Fiorina will formally announce her run for the U.S. Senate this morning at a news conference in Garden Grove.

“Throughout my career I've brought people together, and I've solved problems,” Fiorina said in a statement. “And that is what is needed in our government today. People who are willing to set aside ego and partisanship and instead work to develop solutions to our problems. … As California's senator, economic recovery and fiscal accountability will be my priorities.”

Fiorina will face off against Assemblyman Chuck DeVore (R-Irvine) for the Republican nomination. The GOP candidate would compete against incumbent Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer, who is seeking a fourth term.

“I look forward to engaging Carly Fiorina on the issues Californians care about: out-of-control federal debt, soaring government spending on bailouts and stimulus, a pending government takeover of healthcare, and Barbara Boxer's huge energy-tax increase disguised as cap-and-trade," DeVore said in a statement.                 

-- Times staff

Column: If Fiorina opts for Senate bid, will 'I' come before 'you'?

OC Register: Carly Fiorina: Why I'm running for Senate

Photo: Carly Fiorina in September 2008. The former chairwoman and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Co. will formally announce her run for the U.S. Senate. Credit: Paul Sancya / Associated Press

Southern Californians vote on numerous races, revenue issues today; congressional race in Bay Area

Voters are going to the polls today in four Southern California counties, while a new member of Congress is being chosen in a special Bay Area contest.

Elections are underway in Ventura, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. In a special election in the Bay Area's 10th Congressional District, Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi is heavily favored to replace former Democratic Rep. Ellen Tauscher, who resigned to take a job in the Obama administration. 

Garamendi, 64, who has spent most of his adult life in public office, faces Republican businessman David Harmer and three minor-party candidates in a district where Democrats enjoy an 18-point edge in registration over the GOP. If Garamendi wins, the governor will appoint a new lieutenant governor.

Asian Americans in L.A. County voted in record numbers in 2008, supported Obama

Asian Americans in Los Angeles County turned out in record numbers for the 2008 general election thanks to a mobilization campaign targeting this fast-growing but underrepresented community, according to a new survey released today.

Turnout for Asian American voters in Los Angeles County soared 39%, up from about 211,000 in 2000 to 293,000 in last year’s presidential election, according to the survey by the Asian Pacific American Legal Center, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit.

Among the key findings of the report, 63% of Asian American voters supported Barack Obama for president and 90% expressed support for universal healthcare.

"What is significant about this report is that it shows more Asian Americans have voted than ever before in the history of Los Angeles County, it tells us that Asian Americans have arrived as a political force," said Dan Ichinose, director of the center's Demographic Research Project. "We can become even more powerful if the method we used could be adopted on a broader scale."

Ban divorce? Ballot effort gets OK to gather signatures

California Secretary of State Debra Bowen today authorized the backer of an initiative that would ban divorce to begin collecting signatures to put the proposed constitutional amendment before voters.

John Marcotte now has until March 22, 2010, to collect 694,354 signatures of registered voters in order to get the measure on the ballot next year. The proposal would change the California Constitution to "eliminate the ability of married couples to get divorced in California."

Couples could still get their marriages annulled under the proposal.

State watchdogs consider regulating campaigns’ electronic messages

Between tweeting, YouTube videos and text messaging, the age of the Internet means political candidates now rely on more than snail mail to reach voters, and California's ethics watchdog agency is responding to the changing times.

The state Fair Political Practices Commission announced today it is launching a review to determine whether there is a need for more regulation of electronic communications in political campaigns. While the agency requires detailed disclosure of who sends a campaign mailer to homes, there is little in the way of regulation regarding those who might send their message electronically.

"Political campaigning has changed a great deal since the creation of the Political Reform Act, in 1974," Chairman Ross Johnson said, adding that a subcommittee has been formed to help the panel determine "if we should be doing more to help inform the public of who is paying to send out political messages.''

-- Patrick McGreevy in Sacramento

More breaking news in L.A. Now:

Fake cop might be making traffic stops, Long Beach police say

Nurses plan strike over swine flu conditions at hospitals

Ventura County deputies search for gunman in juvenile courthouse shooting

Citing Adenhart case, police promise to swarm Angels Stadium in drunk driving crackdown

Judge grants injunction against city's medical marijuana dispensary ban

Shots fired at Oxnard juvenile court; gunman sought

Victim identified in fatal Valinda stabbing

Church pastors urging Latino organizations not to boycott census

Victim identified in fatal Valinda stabbing

Fertility doctor who treated octuplets' mom expelled by medical society

Crisis counselors at Hollywood High after football player's death

$1 billion expansion of LAX expected to win approval today

Man and woman found dead in apparent murder-suicide in Norwalk

Shooting in Northridge leaves one dead

Orange County supervisor, four others file papers to run for Assembly seat

An Orange County supervisor and four others have filed papers to run for the state Assembly seat vacated by Michael Duvall, who resigned last month after boasting over an open microphone about his apparent sexual conquests.

Chris Norby, a Republican member of the board of supervisors, was the only elected official to file papers to run for the 72nd Assembly District seat, said Orange County Registrar Neal Kelley. Norby has served on the board since 2003.

The others who filed papers were Republican Linda Ackerman, Republican Richard Faher,  Democrat John MacMurray and Green Party candidate Jane Rands. The Secretary of State has until Oct. 12 to certify the candidates, Kelley said.

A special election to fill the seat will be held Nov. 17.  The district includes Fullerton, Anaheim, Placentia, Orange, Brea, Yorba Linda and La Habra.

Duvall, 54, a Republican who is married and was known as a proponent of family values, stepped down less than 24 hours after boasting about sexual trysts with women -- one of whom appeared to be a lobbyist with business before a committee on which Duvall was vice chairman.

The Times reported Saturday that FBI agents have talked to at least two former Duvall aides to determine if there is evidence to launch a criminal probe.  The state attorney general's office said today that they do not plan to investigate.

The incident has called attention to the ongoing issue of fraternization between lawmakers and lobbyists.

-- Robert J. Lopez

Jerry Brown to investigate ACORN in California

Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown has launched an investigation into the brouhaha over videotapes of a conservative group’s private sting operation against ACORN, the community organizing group credited with helping push Barack Obama to the presidency.

Brown’s office plans to look into circumstances surrounding both the making of the videos and what they reputedly show: ACORN members giving advice on how to open a brothel.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked Brown to investigate the videos in a letter two weeks ago. Chief Deputy Atty. Gen. James M. Humes replied that an investigation has been opened “of both ACORN and the circumstances under which ACORN employees were videotaped.”

It is illegal under state law to tape someone without his or her permission.

Krekorian, Essel in Dec. 8 runoff election for 2nd District L.A. City Council seat

The votes are counted in the special election to replace former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel in the 2nd District and it's official: Assemblyman Paul Krekorian and former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive Christine Essel will be in the Dec. 8 runoff election.

Less than 12% of registered voters turned out for the race in the district, which covers parts of Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Valley Village, Valley Glen, North Hollywood and Sunland-Tujunga.

Essel, who has never run for office, and Krekorian, who served on the Burbank school board before he was elected to the Assembly in 2006, led the other eight candidates in fundraising during the brief contest. The former film executive outspent Krekorian by nearly 2 to 1 after raising $294,000 for her primary round. Both moved into the district in May to run for Greuel's seat, which pays $178,789 annually.

In the final tally, Krekorian led with 34% of the vote to Essel's 28%. Los Angeles school board member Tamar Galatzan, a deputy city attorney, finished third with 13% and Mary Benson, a Sun Valley Area Neighborhood Council member, came in fourth with 8% of the vote. The Los Angeles city clerk has posted the results.

-- Maeve Reston at Los Angeles City Hall

Meg Whitman launches ads in campaign for governor

Republican Meg Whitman underscored the advantage of wealth in the 2010 race for governor, launching paid advertisements today for her campaign nine months before GOP voters will determine their nominee.

The introductory ads, which the campaign said were running on radio stations across California, highlight Whitman’s experience at several well-known firms. Among them is EBay, where she was chief executive until two years ago.

“We need to reinvent California, and that reinvention starts at the top,” says the ad.

Whitman, who has put $19 million into her campaign, appeared before supporters today at a sweltering, open-air gathering in Fullerton. She said she was formally opening the campaign, although it has been underway in earnest since February, when she first announced she was running.

Jerry Brown stops by L.A. City Hall sounding unofficially gubernatorial

California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown dropped by Los Angeles City Hall this morning, shaking hands with council members and appearing very much like a candidate for governor.

Brown, escorted around the chambers by Council President Eric Garcetti, has yet to officially announce he is running but said he expects to open an exploratory committee for a gubernatorial campaign in the near future.

He said the biggest challenge for any candidate will be raising enough money to knock off the two independently wealthy Republican candidates for governor, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner and former EBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman. Both are rich enough to “blanket the state’’ with campaign ads, he said.

Brown didn’t have much to say about San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, whose campaign for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination received a major boost earlier this month when he was backed by former President Clinton.

“These things happen,’’ Brown said. Brown and Clinton, of course, faced off in the 1992 race for the White House – and did not part on friendly terms.

-- Phil Willon at L.A. City Hall

Governor sets Jan. 12 for election to fill Duvall's Assembly seat [updated]

[Updated 11:55 a.m.: The date of the special primary election to replace 72nd District Assemblyman Mike Duvall will be Nov. 17, with a runoff Jan. 12 if no candidate wins a majority in the primary. The governor's office issued a proclamation calling for a Jan. 12 election and neglected to mention the primary.]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today called a Jan. 12 special election to fill the vacant Assembly seat of Orange County Republican Mike Duvall.

Duvall resigned this month after remarks he made to a fellow legislator about sexual encounters were recorded on an open microphone during a lull in a July legislative hearing. The remarks were later broadcast by a television station, prompting Duvall's abrupt resignation.

Several Orange County politicians already have said they will seek the office in the heavily Republican district. They include Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby and GOP activist Linda Ackerman, whose husband, Dick Ackerman  once served in the Legislature.

Democrat John MacMurray, a teacher who previously ran against Duvall, also has said he will get into the race.

-- Jean Merl

L.A. Councilwoman Hahn exploring a run for lieutenant governor in 2010

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Janice Hahn has established an exploratory campaign committee for a possible run for California lieutenant governor in 2010.

Hahn has served on the council since 2001, representing a district that stretches from San Pedro to Watts, and has one of the most recognizable political names in Los Angeles; she’s the daughter of the late Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn and the sister of former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn, who is now a superior court judge.

Hahn filed papers with the California secretary of state for “The Janice Hahn Lieutenant Governor 2010 Exploratory Committee,’’ which has not reported any political fundraising activity.

Hahn in March was reelected to a third four-year council term, and is scheduled to be term-limited out of office in 2013.

Hahn, who lives in San Pedro, ran for Congress as a Democrat in 1998, narrowly losing to Republican Steven T. Kuykendall of Rancho Palos Verdes.

If she decides to run for the statewide office, Hahn’s biggest challengers for the Democratic nomination would, thus far, be state Sens. Dean Florez of Shafter, who has banked more than $872,000 in his campaign account, and Alan Lowenthal of Long Beach, who has just under $27,000 in his account, according to state election records.

On the Republican side, the challengers include state Sen. Jeff Denham and Jim Battin, a former state senator from Riverside County.

-- Phil Willon at L.A. City Hall

O.C. supervisor already eyeing Duvall's Assembly seat

Orange County Supervisor Chris Norby said this afternoon that disgraced legislator Michael Duvall (R-Yorba Linda) “did the right thing under the circumstances” by resigning his Assembly seat today in the face of a sex scandal, then quickly added: “And I’m going to do the right thing.”

That, the two-term supervisor said, will be to run for Duvall’s seat in a special election, the primary for which is expected to be held before year’s end.

Norby said he was planning to run for county clerk-recorder in 2010 but now will seek Duvall’s 72nd District seat. Seventy percent of the Assembly district is in Norby’s 4th Supervisorial District, including a large chunk of his hometown of Fullerton, where he was elected to the City Council in 1984 and reelected four times.

Norby won his supervisor’s seat in 2002 and was reelected in 2006. That term expires at the end of 2010, and a special election would be called to finish out Norby’s term if he won Duvall’s  seat.

Norby, a Republican, said that he hadn’t planned to challenge Duvall in 2010 but that the assemblyman’s abrupt departure over comments about his sexual trysts "opens up an opportunity.”

The supervisor hasn’t been immune to problems himself. In March 2008, he acknowledged that he spent campaign funds to pay for a one-week stay at a Fullerton hotel the previous summer as his third marriage came to an end, an expense labeled a "study of homeless and motel families" on financial disclosure forms. 

He spent a few days sleeping in his office, then one well-remarked-upon episode in a park, before checking into the hotel. He paid $340 for the room at the bed and breakfast, according to his disclosure forms. He admitted that the expenditure was a mistake and repaid the money to his campaign.

Noting that he’s been among those who have bashed the Legislature for how it governs, Norby said Sacramento wields a lot of influence over local governments and he wants “to be part of the solution.”

Of Duvall’s sudden departure from the political scene, Norby said, “It’s a surprise. He’s got a lot of challenges ahead with his family, his personal situation, and I certainly wish him well with those. He did the right thing under the circumstances. He did it quickly.”

Norby then segued into his plans for running. Asked later if he wanted to say anything more about Duvall, Norby said he wanted to look forward and not back.

“That was three hours ago,” he said of Duvall’s resignation.

-- Dana Parsons in Orange County

Long Beach school trustees call for special election

School trustees voted to hold a special election Dec. 29 to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of a Long Beach school board member who is being sought by authorities and has had several run-ins with the law.

Trustees voted 4 to 0 on Tuesday to call the election, which will cost the cash-strapped Long Beach Unified School District as much as $240,000 to fill the post of Michael Shane Ellis. The district could not place the matter on the regular elections scheduled in November and April because of the city charter.

Ellis, 41, was elected to the five-member school board in 2006 and has faced controversy practically ever since. He was convicted in December 2006 of hit-and-run and driving without a license, and in August 2007 of drunk driving. He was evicted from his Alamitos Beach apartment in 2008. A local alternative weekly disclosed this summer that his probation for the hit-and-run was revoked in August 2008, and a judge issued a $15,000 bench warrant for his arrest.

Ellis was censured and asked to resign by his fellow board members in 2007, and faced an unsuccessful recall attempt in 2008. He last attended a board meeting May 5. In July, a letter of resignation, effective Tuesday, was hand-delivered to district headquarters after business hours. The district has not heard from him since.

-- Seema Mehta

Villaraigosa says local governments should unite in effort to finish Westside subway [Updated]

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa called today for speeding up construction of the $6.1-billion Westside subway extension, currently scheduled for completion in 2036 -- when he will be 78. [Updated at 3:10 p.m.: The subway would only reach Westwood by 2036, and the mayor would be 83. The cost at that point would be $4.1-billion. The entire $6.1-billon project would extend the line to Santa Monica, and no timetable has been set for that.]

As the most outspoken advocate for the so-called Subway to the Sea, the mayor has long been frustrated by that timetable and it was evident again when he and other officials gathered for a news conference in a UCLA parking lot. There, final soil samples had been drawn for a line that would follow Wilshire Boulevard from downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica.

"I’m 56 now,” the mayor said. “We are here today to make sure that it gets built before I am 66.”

Former L.A. city attorney joins private firm while planning run for state attorney general

Former Los Angeles City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo began a new role today as counsel at the Los Angeles law offices of Goodwin Procter LLP.

Delgadillo is joining the firm’s 400-lawyer litigation department, according to the firm’s Los Angeles chairman, Lewis G. Feldman. The former city attorney, who left that office in June after facing term limits, will also focus on the firm’s public-private partnership work throughout California.

Feldman noted that before his 2001 run for city attorney, Delgadillo served as deputy mayor for economic development under former L.A. Mayor Richard Riordan.

“Rocky’s experience in economic development and public-private partnerships will be extremely valuable to us,” Feldman said.

Endorsements come to two L.A. council candidates

Two candidates running for the Los Angeles City Council seat vacated by City Controller Wendy Greuel locked down key endorsements today.

Christine Essel, a former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive, won Greuel’s backing. Greuel described Essel as the “independent candidate I trust to focus on the details and make sure the neighborhoods of District 2 receive city services in an efficient and effective manner.”

State Assemblyman Paul Krekorian, one of the other 10 candidates for Greuel’s seat in the Sept. 22 special election, was endorsed by the United Firefighters of Los Angeles City. Pat McOsker, president of the union’s Local 112, said Krekorian “has consistently proven himself an honest and hard-working public servant with a clear and proven track record of devotion to public safety.”

While former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan has thrown his support behind Essel, Krekorian has also been endorsed by the Democratic Party of the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca.

As of June 30, only two candidates reported raising money for the brief sprint to the special election: Essel raised $119,939 and candy store owner Frank Sheftel raised $2,300.

Th 2nd Council District stretches from Studio City and Sherman Oaks at its southern border, through Van Nuys, Valley Glen, North Hollywood and Sun Valley to Sunland-Tujunga at its northern border.

All 10 candidates are expected to debate this Saturday at a forum co-sponsored by the Sunland-Tujunga Alliance and the Sunland-Tujunga Neighborhood Council. The forum will begin at 2 p.m. after a one-hour meet-and-greet at North Valley City Hall, 7747 Foothill Blvd. in Tujunga.

-- Maeve Reston at L.A. City Hall

It's official: 10 candidates running for Wendy Greuel's vacant L.A. City Council seat [Updated]

So it looks like the candidate debates in the race to replace Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel are going to be a bit complicated.

Eleven candidates qualified for the ballot in the Sept. 22 special election for Greuel’s former San Fernando Valley seat, the City Clerk’s office announced today. That crowded field of hopefuls is running in a district stretching from Sherman Oaks to Sunland-Tujunga.

The candidates will appear on the ballot in the following order:

School board member Tamar Galatzan

Ex-Paramount exec to be endorsed for L.A. Council by former Mayor Riordan

Former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan is slated this morning to endorse Christine Essel, who is running for the San Fernando Valley City Council seat vacated by City Controller Wendy Greuel.

In the 1990s, the former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive was appointed by Riordan to serve on the board of the Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency. Essel was first appointed to that panel by Mayor Tom Bradley and served between 1992 and 1999.

At a 10 a.m. news conference, Riordan is expected to credit Essel with being a problem-solver: “In both the private and public sectors, Christine Essel has proven that she has the skills and the commitment to get the job done,” Riordan will say, according to a statement.

Ex-City Controller Laura Chick skewers Carmen Trutanich on radio

Former Los Angeles City Controller Laura Chick didn’t pull any punches this morning in her assessment of L.A.’s newly elected city attorney, Carmen Trutanich.

During an interview on KABC-AM 790’s Doug McIntyre show, Chick called Trutanich a “demagogue” and a liar. She accused him of backing down from a campaign promise to dismiss a yearlong legal battle over whether the controller has the authority to audit programs in the city attorney’s office.

“I know that there’s politicians who think the public is stupid and they think they can manipulate the public and come out with these little sound bites and campaign promises," Chick said. “But I believe that the public sees through these things, and that they are going to see what they got in this city attorney is a demagogue, is a man who will saying anything to get elected and he’ll go out and make fancy speeches. But when you look behind the words, it’s not just empty. It’s lies.’’

The Times called Trutanich for comment and a spokesman said a statement might be forthcoming. In this morning's Daily News, Trutanich explained his position.

Former L.A. mayoral candidate will try out for his own radio talk show

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Walter Moore, outspoken critic of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and a favorite on some of L.A.’s talk radio stations, is about to hit the airwaves. Moore will “try out" for his own show on KABC 790 on Aug. 1 at 10 p.m.

The business attorney who lives in Carthay Circle won 26% of the vote in his long-shot bid to unseat Villaraigosa in the March primary despite being greatly outspent by the incumbent mayor. Villaraigosa received 56% of the vote in the primary and won a second four-year term.

During the campaign, Moore accused Villaraigosa of helping turn Los Angeles into a ”Third World" city and bankrupting city coffers.

“If all goes spectacularly -- hey, it could happen -- they may invite me to come back on a regular basis," Moore said in an e-mail about the radio gig. “Not only would that be fun for me, but I think it would help us fix the City without having won the election. As soap-boxes go, it’s hard to beat a microphone at one of L.A.’s largest radio stations, after all."

Moore also ran for mayor in 2005, finishing sixth with 2.7% of the vote. Moore has said he has no interest in launching another bid for mayor.

-- Phil Willon at L.A. City Hall

EIR process begins on Century Plaza project; Koretz favors cultural designation

The Los Angeles Planning Department on Thursday will hold its first public meeting to consider the possible environmental effects of the proposed redevelopment of the Century Plaza Hotel site in Century City. The meeting will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the third-floor grand ballroom of the Olympic Collection banquet hall and conference center, 11301 Olympic Blvd.

Last week, Councilman Paul Koretz, who represents Century City, submitted a motion to City Council contending that the hotel was historically significant and should be included in the city's list of historic cultural monuments. "The Century Plaza Hotel stimulated the development of Century City and led to its reputation as a world-class destination, having been a gathering place for celebrities, politicians and world dignitaries since its opening day," his letter said.

The curved hotel, which opened in 1966, was designed by Minoru Yamasaki, who also designed New York's World Trade Center towers. Once nicknamed the "West Coast White House," the hotel was a favorite of Presidents Nixon and Reagan. Nixon was host for a celebration for the Apollo 11 astronauts; Reagan held two presidential victory celebrations in the ballroom and often conducted business from the hotel's presidential suite.

In this first phase of the process of preparing an environmental impact report, the public can learn about the project and submit comments on potential environmental effects and alternatives that should be considered. 

Michael Rosenfeld, the hotel's owner, wants to demolish the 19-story building and replace it with two 49-story, 570-foot buildings containing residences, offices and a hotel. The buildings would be positioned on the north and south sides of a two-acre plaza area, which would be open to the public, surrounded by ground-level retail shops and restaurants.