L.A. Council candidates trade accusations over ties to Villaraigosa

With just two weeks before the Dec. 8 runoff election, accusations are flying between the two candidates vying to replace former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel in the 2nd District, which stretches from Sherman Oaks and Studio City to Sunland-Tujunga.

Last week, Assemblyman Paul Krekorian sent a mailer depicting his opponent, former Paramount Pictures executive Christine Essel, as the “consummate downtown political insider” and trying to link her to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who had a weak showing in the San Fernando Valley in his March re-election campaign.

Krekorian’s brochure included a 2000 letter sent on official stationery by then-Assembly Speaker Villaraigosa expressing gratitude to Essel for hosting a meet-and-greet at her home. The mailer claimed the letter thanked Essel “for launching his mayoral campaign with a fundraiser.”

But Essel’s campaign said the event had nothing to do with Villaraigosa’s mayoral campaign and no money was raised for him at the event.  A Villaraigosa spokeswoman confirmed those statements.

Villaraigosa was just one of a number of guests, including state Treasurer Bill Lockyer and state Sen. Carol Liu, invited by Essel to speak to a group of women at her home on different occasions, according to her campaign.

Essel’s spokesman said she has never hosted a fundraiser for Villaraigosa. She gave him a total of $1,000 for his mayoral campaign in 1999 and 2001, according to the city's ethics website.

Reddock withdraws nomination to Los Angeles pension board

The newest appointee to a Los Angeles pension board has withdrawn her nomination after a city councilman voiced concern about her refusal to name her legal clients, city officials said today.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa had named attorney Angela Reddock to the Fire and Police Pensions system, an agency whose board members have come under scrutiny in recent months regarding the potential for conflicts of interest.

Although council members were scheduled to vote to confirm Reddock today, Councilman Bernard C. Parks raised questions after reading correspondence between Reddock and the city Ethics Commission, which is charged with identifying potential conflicts of interest for new city commissioners. Reddock told the commission in an e-mail that she did not plan to name any client that had paid her more than $10,000, citing attorney-client privilege.

New video footage roils ACORN's South L.A. office

The housing advocacy group ACORN is taking fire again tonight, this time for video footage secretly recorded at the organization's South Los Angeles office.

The video was posted tonight by conservative activist James O'Keefe on biggovernment.com.
In the footage, O'Keefe (posing as a USC student) and cohort Hanna Giles (posing as a prostitute) appear to ask an ACORN employee for assistance in finding housing for a fictional underage prostitution ring.

Read the full story at the Top of the Ticket blog.

Sen. John Kerry's daughter arrested in Hollywood on suspicion of drunk driving [Updated]

The daughter of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) was arrested in Hollywood early this morning for alleged drunk driving.

Los Angeles police say Alexandra Kerry, 36, was stopped by police during a traffic stop at about 12:40 a.m.

“Officers detected signs and symptoms of being under the influence of alcohol,” said LAPD Officer Bruce Borihanh.

Kerry was booked at the Hollywood police station and held until 5:25 a.m. after she posted $5,000 bail. Borihanh said he did not know what Kerry’s blood-alcohol level was.

Alexandra Kerry is the eldest daughter of John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic Party presidential nominee.

[Updated at 2 p.m.: A spokeswoman for Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) said that Alexandra Kerry was pulled over for an expired vehicle registration and was released after the results of a Breathalyzer test at the police station were under the legal limit.

“Sen. Kerry supports his daughter and will have no further comment on a private matter,” said Jodi Seth, a Kerry spokeswoman.

Richard French, a spokesman for the LAPD, said he did not know Kerry’s blood alcohol level and could not confirm whether it was under the legal limit.

“When it comes to drunk driving or impaired driving because of alcohol, it is at the traffic officer’s discretion,” French said. “Many people could be under the legal limit and still be impaired. The blood alcohol level is not as important as to how impaired her driving was.”]

-- My-Thuan Tran

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.
 

L.A. council members hear from residents angered about digital billboards

Pressure is building on members of the Los Angeles City Council to remove 101 digital billboards across the city, now that a judge has struck down a key settlement. But after hearing from more than 30 speakers today, members of a council committee put off making any recommendation to their colleagues.
 
The illuminated signs were erected under a 2006 agreement between the city and two outdoor advertising companies. That settlement was struck down by a Superior Court judge earlier this month.
 
But as they weighed their legal options, members on the council’s planning and land use committee heard an earful from residents urging them to immediately remove the bright, flashing signs in their neighborhoods and convert them back to conventional billboards. At the same time, representatives from settlement participants Clear Channel Outdoor Inc. and CBS Outdoor Inc. — backed by several business groups — urged the committee not to act hastily because the firms are appealing the judge’s ruling.
 
Jan Reichmann, president of the Comstock Hills Homeowners Assn., told committee members that she and her neighbors were living in the shadow of a huge digital billboard on Santa Monica Boulevard in Westwood. “It’s time to end the suffering from the blinking lights flashing into our homes and backyards, and the nonstop noise emanating from the huge cooling fans,” Reichmann said.
 

Voting day in election to replace former Assemblyman Mike Duvall

Voters in northern Orange County go to the polls today in a special election to replace former Republican Assemblyman Mike Duvall of Yorba Linda, who resigned suddenly in September in the wake of a sex scandal.

Polling places will be open from 7 a.m.to 8 p.m.

Three Republicans, one Democrat and one Green Party candidate are on the open-primary ballot in this GOP stronghold. If no one wins a majority today, there will be a Jan. 12 runoff among the top vote-getters in each party.

Duvall had told a fellow legislator about his sexual exploits with a lobbyist or two without realizing that the remarks, made during a lull at a committee hearing, had been recorded. The tape was later broadcast by a television news station.

Additional information about today's election is available at ocvote.com.

-- Jean Merl

Photo: Former Republican Assemblyman Mike Duvall. Credit: Los Angeles Times archives.

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Police search for gunman who fired shots in Sherman Oaks home

Hidden-camera activists have praise for ACORN's L.A. office [Updated]

Conservative activist James O'Keefe has caused quite a stir with hidden-camera videos in which he and a female colleague go into ACORN offices for advice on how to get funding for prostitution.

Last month, talk-radio stations and websites were abuzz for weeks over the hidden-camera videotapes, purportedly shot at ACORN offices in Washington, D.C., San Diego and San Bernardino advising the couple how to set up prostitution businesses.

ACORN, which stands for Assn. of Community Organization for Reform Now, launched investigations after the incidents, as did California Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown.

But tonight, biggovernment.com offered praise for a worker at an ACORN facility in Los Angeles, saying he refused to bite when they came to the Wilshire Boulevard office with their faux business. And, yes, they have it all on tape.

Said O'Keefe: "Although he did not kick us out, he was the only employee in our nationwide ACORN child prostitution investigation who would not assist us."

[Updated at 10 p.m.: In an email, ACORN disputed O'Keefe's claim, saying that the filmmaker earlier had gone to an ACORN office on South Grand Avenue in L.A. with the scenario and was turned away.]

-- Shelby Grad

Hollywood A-listers host bash for Jerry Brown

State Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown, now alone in the Democratic field in his still-unannounced bid for governor, is headed this week to Hollywood, where he’s expected to collect a mountain of cash from some big Tinseltown names.

The event, a Wednesday evening soiree at the home of former talent manager Sandy Gallin, could net Brown more than $1 million. DreamWorks heavyweights Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg are among the event’s 27 co-hosts.

“Every one of the co-chairs is either writing [a check for] and or raising $50,000,” said entertainment industry consultant Andy Spahn, who helped organize the affair. Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison -- California's richest resident, according to Forbes magazine -- and Netflix founder Reed Hastings are among the other co-hosts.

Judge delays legal squabble between L.A. city attorney and controller

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Mark V. Mooney agreed to a two-week delay today in the legal dispute between City Atty. Carmen Trutanich and City Controller Wendy Greuel over the auditing powers of the controller’s office, but he underscored that he believes Greuel is entitled to outside legal counsel.

The lawsuit began before Trutanich and Greuel took office. Former City Atty. Rocky Delgadillo sued Greuel’s predecessor, Laura Chick, last year, charging that she acted beyond the scope of her authority when she tried to audit a workers’ compensation program in his office and subpoenaed some of his employees.

Though Trutanich said he did not agree with the lawsuit,  the judge entered a tentative ruling 10 days before the new city attorney took office. Mooney found that Chick did not have legal authority to conduct performance audits of Delgadillo’s office or the offices of other elected officials.

Greuel argues the ruling could severely limit her ability to audit city programs and asked the City Council and city attorney to dismiss the case. But so far the council has said the judge’s tentative ruling should stand.

In recent months, the two sides have wrangled over Greuel’s legal representation. Greuel stepped into the lawsuit after Chick left office and has been represented by Chick’s lawyer, Fred Woocher. But Trutanich’s office contends that only Chick – not Greuel – is a party to the lawsuit.

DWP drops plan to hire former Assembly speaker as consultant

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has dropped plans for retaining former state Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez as one of the utility’s subcontractors.

The DWP Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to pay Conservation Strategy Group $232,500 over the next six months to monitor legislation and regulatory matters in Sacramento, an amount considerably less than the utility planned to spend two months ago. The panel, whose members are appointed by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, also decided that the utility no longer needs to hire Mercury Public Affairs, a firm that includes Nuñez, as a subcontractor at a rate of $120,000 a year.

The plan for hiring Nunez had drawn fire from some DWP critics. The utility already retains two other former state lawmakers: former Assemblyman Wally Knox, who was hired by DWP General Manager S. David Freeman as a top executive, and former Assemblywoman Cindy Montañez, who works as a $15,000-a-month consultant.

When the lobbying contract was proposed two months ago, DWP Commission President Lee Kanon Alpert questioned whether it was too much. The original proposal called for Conservation Strategy Group to receive up to $600,000 annually.

FBI clears former Assemblyman Mike Duvall

Former Assemblyman Mike Duvall of Yorba Linda will not face any federal charges after an FBI investigation into his comments, made over an open microphone, that he had a sexual relationship with a woman who was widely believed to be a Sempra Energy lobbyist, officials announced today.

In response, Sempra said it has reinstated the lobbyist to active status as an employee. Lobbyist Heidi Barsuglia issued a statement saying, “This experience has been a professional and personal nightmare. I did nothing whatsoever illegal or unethical with former Assemblyman Duvall or anyone else."

Duvall, a Republican, was vice chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Utilities and Commerce when he made the remarks. He resigned Sept. 9 after his comments, videotaped during a lull in legislative proceedings, were broadcast over the Internet. The FBI interviewed some of his former employees after he quit.

Galatzan endorses former rival Krekorian in L.A. City Council race

Los Angeles School Board member Tamar Galatzan, who finished third in September’s special election to replace former Los Angeles City Councilwoman Wendy Greuel, announced Friday that she is endorsing former rival Assemblyman Paul Krekorian.    

Krekorian, a lawyer who won his California Assembly seat in 2006 after serving on the Burbank Board of Education, will face off against former Paramount Pictures Corp. executive Christine Essel in the runoff election Dec. 8.

Essel has raised $141,000 for her general election bid to Krekorian’s $63,000, and both candidates have accepted matching funds. The 2nd Council District includes parts of Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Valley Village, North Hollywood, Sun Valley and Sunland-Tujunga.
 

Gavin Newsom quits race for California governor

 San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who has been seen as a leading contender to be the next governor of California, announced today that he is quitting the race.

Newsom is withdrawing from the Democratic primary amid lackluster poll numbers and meager fund-raising receipts. His withdrawal leaves state Atty. Gen.  Jerry Brown, who is expected to run even though he has not officially entered the race, with little opposition in the Democratic primary.

“It is with great regret I announce today that I am withdrawing from the race for governor of California,” Newsom said in a statement. “With a young family and responsibilities at City Hall, I have found it impossible to commit the time required to complete this effort the way it needs to — and should be — done. This is not an easy decision. But it is one made with the best intentions for my wife, my daughter, the residents of the city and county of San Francisco, and California Democrats.”

'Birthers' lawsuit challenging Obama's election is dismissed

The “birthers” lose, again.

This morning, a U.S. District Court Judge in Santa Ana dismissed a federal lawsuit challenging President Obama’s election on the grounds he wasn’t born in the U.S.

In his opinion, Judge David O. Carter stated that it is not within the constitutional power of the federal courts to “overthrow a sitting president.”

The case, brought forward by California attorney Orly Taitz, a leader of the so-called “birther” movement, claims that Obama doesn’t meet the constitutional qualifications to be president because he has not shown he is a “natural born citizen” of the U.S.

L.A. Council ignores Trutanich warning, backs signs for theater at L.A. Live

The Los Angeles City Council today unanimously backed city building officials’ authority to issue six controversial sign permits at the L.A. Live entertainment district downtown, a direct challenge to City Atty. Carmen Trutanich’s warning that officials could be prosecuted if they allow the signs to go up.

With today’s backing from the council, Building and Safety general manager Raymond Chan said he plans to issue the permits despite Trutanich’s warning. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also supports issuing the permits, said Jeff Carr, the mayor’s chief of staff.

The action comes just days after the owner of the downtown entertainment complex, Anschutz Entertainment Group, accused Trutanich of trying to “bully’’ the company by blocking signs for its new Regal Cinemas before the movie theater’s grand opening on Tuesday.

William W. Carter, the chief deputy city attorney, warned the council before its vote that granting the permits to AEG could “unravel” a new sign ban approved by the council in August that prohibits all digital signs, supergraphics and freeway facing billboards. Outdoor advertising companies had successfully challenged the city’s past sign restrictions because the council had granted similar exemptions, he said.

Community groups band together to rally in support of ACORN

A coalition of two dozen community organizers, labor leaders and clergy rallied in Watts on Thursday in support of ACORN, the embattled community organizing group. 

ACORN came under national scrutiny last month when secretly recorded videos were aired in which two conservative activists portraying themselves as a pimp and a prostitute appear to receive advice on tax evasion, human smuggling and child prostitution from ACORN employees in California, Maryland, New York and Washington.

Some speaking at a news conference that coincided with Thursday's rally described the videos as part of a larger scheme by some conservatives to smear progressive groups across the country.

"It’s a witch hunt after a segment of the progressive populations," Paul Zimmerman, director of the California Assn. of Non-Profit Housing, said in a telephone interview after the news conference. "I have McCarthy-era deja vu."

PR firm with ties to governor won’t bid on rail contract

A public relations firm with close ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has pulled out of the running for a $9-million contract with California’s high-speed rail board after its successful initial bid was scuttled over concerns about the selection process.

Mercury Public Affairs had been chosen in September as the winner of the five-year public relations contract by a staff panel at the California High Speed Rail Authority. Rail board members expressed concern about the choice, however, after The Times reported that two of the three panelists had close ties to Adam Mendelsohn, a Mercury partner and former Schwarzenegger communications director.

Steve Schmidt, Schwarzenegger’s 2006 reelection campaign manager, is another Mercury partner, as is former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, a Los Angeles Democrat.