Los Angeles News Blog

In April, LA Weekly published a cover story about the city’s 4,000 illegal billboards and the newspaper’s legal struggle to get a simple list of billboards owned by Clear Channel Outdoor and CBS Outdoor. It seems that our “Billboards Gone Wild” headline made quite the impression on other media folks. The Daily News used our exact same headline on July 5, and now “Insider Exclusive” is doing the same, and here’s the clip.

“Insider Exclusive” is definitely worth watching, because it gets to the heart of why the city is doing nothing to stop the billboard-clutter crisis that has turned Los Angeles into the illegal billboard capital of the nation.

One of the more entertaining moments includes a 2006 clip of Los Angeles Councilmember Eric Garcetti blasting the press at a city council meeting for beating up on City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo’s settlement deal between the city and Visa Media, CBS Outdoor, Clear Channel Outdoor and Regency Outdoor.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Jack Weiss introduced a motion yesterday that would address and fix the colossal problems that have been raised in court cases challenging the city's sign ordinance. The motion calls for the city's planning department, Department of Building and Safety and City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo's office to revise and toughen the 2002 ban on billboards.

“I was very proud of the moratorium we passed a few years ago and very proud of the inspection program,” said Weiss. “I want to find a way to preserve the city's ability to protect our neighborhoods that is consistent with the court decisions that have been issued.”

The July 29 motion is the city’s latest effort to control the public’s airspace from obnoxious building-sized ads and billboards that have popped up after the city opened the door to it, setting precedent by allowing certain hand-picked companies to slather the city with advertising.

“God has spoken!” Timothy McGhee jokingly quipped to a downtown Superior Court room when the earthquake struck at 11:40 a.m. today. McGhee, the convicted triple murderer and Atwater Village street-gang leader, was testifying on the witness stand about his role in a 2005 jail riot when his attorney, H. Clay Jacke, asked him how he could tell the direction from which riot cops were charging to quell the rebellion. Was it, Jacke asked, “a matter of sight or of sound?”

For an hour or longer, hundreds of thousand of residents of the Los Angeles Basin lost their cell phone service, following a very moderate earthquake that left little damage in most of the areas that felt it. Swaying chandeliers in the City Council Chambers downtown, vitamin bottles leaping off the shelves at a drug store in the San Fernando Valley, and some light structural damage in Orange County.

Big deal. The real problem was the sudden cutoff of cell phone and other phone service that left so many people unable to communicate, as if Los Angeles had undergone a major disaster. Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department says their "safety assessment" this afternoon found no serious damage and no deaths or significant injuries in the city of Los Angeles.

But clearly, with so many cell phones and other phones crapping out for more than an hour, the city's and region's infrastructure is not ready for a serious, big-time earthquake.

The good old U.S. Geological Survey website is fast out of the gate pegging the recent earthquake as a 5.8 magnitude tremor.

They also show the epicenter near Chino Hills, 29 miles southeast of downtown L.A.

Culver City note: The new LA Weekly building shakes like a leaf (at least around my desk) every time a car enters or leaves our garage, so it took a few extra seconds to figure out this was an actual earthquake and not just an SUV trying to find a parking space.

UPDATE: 2:50 p.m. The magnitude of the quake, which had originally been revised upward from 5.6 to 5.8 has since been knocked down to 5.4. Our cohorts at the OC Weekly felt it a bit more than we did.

The LA Weekly was taking a peek at court papers when we came across an interesting tidbit by a federal district judge who issued a preliminary injunction in June barring the city of Los Angeles from enforcing its sign ordinance against those huge, tacky, building-sized ads now slathering much of LA.

You may hate them but the judge ruled that Philadelphia based “supergraphics” company World Wide Rush could ignore the city ban, at least for now, because the city itself is putting up advertising all over town and it can’t have it both ways.

Judge Audrey Collins – in court papers filed on May 8 - seemed a tad miffed that World Wide Rush attorney Rex Heinke didn’t disclose his affiliation with the “supergraphics” company at a law conference the two attended on May 2 and 3.

I

It was time for a vacation and my parents wanted to see me. So I flew back east last Wednesday and visited them in Spring Lake, New Jersey, a beach resort town 60 miles south of New York City.

The Essex & Sussex Hotel on Ocean Avenue in Spring Lake, New Jersey.

II

The memories blind-sided me on the second day of vacation. The wiffle ball games, the Sunday masses, the watermelons, the cheeseburgers, the body surfing, the summer jobs, the boys I never kissed, the boy who said he loved me. It all came rushing as I took a run on the boardwalk and passed the Essex & Sussex Hotel.

I worked there as a 16-year-old bus boy. The waiters and waitresses were all college students, so we drank a lot of beer and partied together and played softball every week. I even had a crush on one of the waiters, but I never said anything. I wasn't convinced that I was gay.

More than 800,000 Mexicans in the metropolitan region went to special polling places on Sunday to register their opinion on the energy reform package being pushed by President Felipe Calderon's conservative PAN party. Depending on your source, it was either a rousing civic success or a shameless fiasco. I'm leaning toward the latter.

The "citizen's consultation" asked two questions on the matter on small rectangular pieces of paper. First, "Currently, the drilling, transport, distribution, storage, and refining of hydrocarbons are activities exclusive to the government. Are you or are you not in agreement that private companies may participate in these activities?" And, "In general, are you or are you not in agreement that the proposals related to energy reform currently being debated in the Congress of the Union should be approved?"

A bit more than 87 percent of respondents said "No" to both questions. Not at all surprising. Dave Biller, an energy correspondent based in Mexico City told me: "The leftist PRD party is playing the poll off as a national referendum, but in reality it's far from representative. It was organized by the left for the left. [...] Leftist voters arrived knowing how they were supposed to vote: no to question 1, and no to question 2."

Caesar Leon, an outgoing and enthusiastic young man, had been waiting for this night for a very long time.

“I saw him before the movie,” Leon said, standing below the stage at the El Rey Theatre on Wilshire Boulevard. “I heard his lyrics and read them and fell in love with him. I’m his biggest fan.”

Caesar Leon, left, and his best friend, Alberto Siqueiros, at the Jay Brannan concert.

Last week, attorneys for World Wide Rush filed a motion in federal court asking a judge to permanently block the city from prosecuting building owners who allow “supergraphics” signs on their buildings.

The motion was filed after the city began enforcing its sign ordinance against the owners of seven of World Wide Rush’s 34 “supergraphics” sites located at 6801 W. Center Drive, 3415 Sepulveda Blvd., 10680 W. Pico Blvd., 8801 W. Pico Blvd., 1089 W. National Blvd., 6200 Wilshire Blvd., and 169 N. La Brea Ave. The city also filed charges against a building owner for the sign located at 6081 Center Drive, and threatened to issue an arrest warrant based on the building owners refusal to remove the sign.

For one long day and a half government witness Stephen Kolodny, divorce-lawyer-to-the-rich, gave details about his representation of former tennis pro Lisa Bonder in the take-no-prisoners child-custody fight between her and husbeen Kirk Kerkorian.

A deputy shot and killed a 35-year-old Lennox man on Wednesday night. Deputies patrolling the area believed he was a drug dealer who was reaching for a gun, according to police reports.

Christian Portillo, 35, was shot twice in the chest and died at the scene.

With the fatal shooting of Portillo the number of deaths this year at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles County has reached 28 - or roughly four a month.

With Monday's fatal shooting of postal worker Kevin Wicks by an Inglewood police officer the number of deaths this year at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles County has hit 27, according to the LA County Coroner.

That means roughly four deaths a month involving police officers. The startling statistic has pretty much stayed consistent since last year. In 2007, there were 61 officer-involved shooting deaths – or roughly five a month.

By Siran Babayan

A wise person once said, “Life is like a piece of shredded wheat.” No, it wasn’t Gandhi. It was Sophia Petrillo, aka Estelle Getty.

Sophia came to this country a poor Sicilian immigrant with nothing but a pizza recipe and a dream (she was robbed by Mama Celeste). Her son was a cross-dresser, and her daughter , Dorothy, got knocked up in high school and married a dumb bachagaloop who wore a toupee.

After escaping from a lovely nursing home called Shady Pines, Sophia spent the remainder of her life living in Miami with her daughter and two other women: dimwitted but lovable Minnesotan Rose, and bed-hopping but lovable tramp Blanche.

They laughed and ate cheesecake. They talked about their first times and ate cheesecake. They helped the police nab a couple of jewel thieves and ate cheesecake.

Sophia dined with the likes of Burt Reynolds; sang with Julio Iglesias; and claimed to have had an affair with Picasso. Her hobbies included stealing money from her daughter’s purse and going to the beach so she could watch old men rearrange themselves when they get out of the water. She’s probably still doing that somewhere in Miami.

Getty may have gone to that retirement community in the sky, but Sophia and her straw purse will forever live in television. The Golden Girls not only changed how we look at dessert, but taught us how to laugh with the elderly, and whether you’re gay, straight or just short and perpetually cranky like her, Sophia spoke to the Italian yenta in all of us.

We should all aspire to be half the person Sophia was (half is fine; she was just under five feet). And may we all be a burden on our children in our old age.

Is It The Odd Couple or The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant?

Two Los Angeles court rulings in favor of outdoor advertising companies are playing strong roles in a recent court filing in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California.

Metro Fuel, which is owned by New York based Fuel Outdoor Holdings, which specializes in mini billboards or “Metro Lights” panels, is hoping that a federal court judge will issue a preliminary injunction blocking San Francisco from prosecuting building owners who allow illegal billboards on their property.

Lawyers for the outdoor advertising company are citing two billboard victories in Los Angeles where district court judges have granted injunctive relief barring the city of Los Angeles from enforcing its billboard laws against outdoor advertising companies Metro Lights and World Wide Rush.

Last Friday, Metro Fuel filed a motion in United States District Court for the Northern District of California to prevent the city of San Francisco from enforcing its laws against illegal billboards.

The outdoor advertising company, which is owned by New York based Fuel Outdoor Holdings, which specializes in mini billboards or “Metro Lights” panels, is hoping that a federal court judge will issue a preliminary injunction blocking San Francisco from prosecuting building owners who allow illegal billboards on their property.

San Francisco banned all new billboards in 2002. It also has strict zoning regulations that prohibit billboards in residential areas, near schools and parks. Recently, the city began issuing “notices of violations” against Fuel’s panel sign lessors. The city has argued that the ban and restrictive zoning is necessary to preserve and protect “traffic safety” and “aesthetics.”

British Columbia resident Wayne Coulson says he has the tool that will save hundreds of homes threatened by California fires annually. It is called the Martin Mars water bomber.

Owned by the Canadian company, Coulson Flying Tankers, the 162,000-pound Martin Mars can drop 7,200 gallons of water and fire-dousing gel compared to 1,620 gallons for the “Super Scoopers.” It spreads its load over 3.5 acres and can drop as low as 150 feet.

It is one of the world’s largest scooping water bombers.

President George Bush and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger fly over the mighty Martin Mars in Shasta Lake

How "cool" is Mexico City? Well, the new issue of Vice magazine is all about Mexico, and especially the capital. You can lament this, ignore this, or just get over it and go see the bands. A week ago the editors and media agents behind the urban bad-kid cocky hipster brand converged upon town for a party of epic depravity, even by Mexico City standards.

For starters there was nearly a News Divine-style crush to get in ("News Divine" is fast becoming a darkly cynical local colloquialism). When The Black Lips stepped up to the sorta-not-really-there stage at the Tropicana in Plaza Garibaldi (a sufficiently vice-y venue), the sweaty, frenzied crowd went bonkers.

“Bring me the father. Bring me the father’s head on a platter. Because there is like more than a hundred thousand in it for you, okay?” Thus spake über attorney Terry Christensen in 2002 as he hired super sleuth Anthony Pellicano to discover the true paternity of the daughter of Christensen’s client, billionaire Kirk Kerkorian.

On Wednesday, the California Supreme Court refused to take Proposition 8 off the November ballot. The anti-gay marriage measure will now go to the voters...and gay rights activists will need the state's political stars to follow through on their promises. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom is important, but Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa are the real key players in the coming months.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, left, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger appear together at a press conference in Los Angeles. (photo courtesy of the Mayor's Office)

The state Board of Parole Hearings on Tuesday denied a request for “compassionate release” to Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Susan Atkins who is dying of brain cancer.

In the summer of 1969, Atkins stabbed to death a pregnant Sharon Tate a gruesome 16 times at Tate’s Benedict Canyon mansion. After killing Tate, prosecutors said Atkins tasted the actress' blood and used it to scrawl “PIG” on her front door. On that dreadful August 9 night, the Manson Family also killed Abigail Ann Folger, Voytek Frykowski, Steven R. Parent, and Jay Sebring.

The following day, members of the Manson family – excluding Atkins – bludgeoned to death Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary at their home in the Los Feliz hills. Atkins, then 22, was convicted of killing Tate and music teacher Gary Hinman. Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten were soon charged with the other grisly murders.

Is it wrong to chuckle over the latest U.S. Census numbers reminding us, in this strange town run by City Hall density hawks wedded to "compact housing" and the "construction crane as the official city bird," that L.A. population growth has stagnated?

As in, we're barely adding any new population despite huge projections embraced by the often-wrong Southern California Association of Governments? I heard from Joel Kotkin (whose New Geography blog site is pissing off Southern California political VIPs because his hard facts make their anecdotes look so silly), that L.A. gained only a teacup's worth of new residents in 2007.

Today jurors gave Juan Alvarez the gift of life 11 times over by sparing him the death penalty, instead sentencing him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In June the panel had convicted Alvarez of first-degree murder for his role in the January, 2005 Metrolink train derailment that claimed 11 lives.

What person would choose to lay off the excellent Jesus Sanchez, one of the most rational, intelligent newspapermen in Los Angeles, when making the big, ugly cuts of up to 150 writers, editors, photographers and others that began today at the Los Angeles Times?

Jesus is not just a multi-talented guy -- for instance, besides his business expertise he has both feet fully in the online world as a blogger, while a lot of seasoned writers at the Times still struggle with the concept of posting. But he also has a really, really good brain and a Rolodex to die for, and I hope to hell he grabs it off the desk and runs with it as he exits the building.

I notice that our very own Gustavo Arellano left a comment on the Times blog, LA Now, in which Gustavo really sums up the bad decisions on this initial list of 80 journos (the Tell Zell blog is supposed to have the list but it looks like it crashed for awhile today after getting linked by Fishbowl LA and others.) Gustavo says "Zell: Go to Hell." Has a nice ring to it!

The state Board of Parole Hearings will decide today whether they will grant Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Susan Atkins “compassionate release.”

Atkins, 60, reportedly has terminal brain cancer and her bid for “compassionate release” will be one of two cases considered as part of a regularly scheduled monthly board meeting. The other case involves inmate Robert Ramirez, a convicted burglar and three-striker who was sentenced to 35-years in prison in 1995. He is 41.

So far, the Board of Parole Hearings has received over 100 letters, most of them opposing Atkins’ release including one sent by Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley on July 11.

Ron Kaye, the former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, looked happy. It had been only two months or so since he left the San Fernando Valley newspaper, and now he stood on the steps of City Hall in downtown and was surrounded by environmentalists, homeowner association members, and a whole bunch of other community activists. It was Bastille Day, and they wanted to take back Los Angeles.

"The political institution of LA is corrupt," Kaye told a sizable crowd yesterday afternoon. "We've got to take them down and be the boss."

The crowd, which was mostly white and middle-aged, clapped, cheered, and egged Kaye on to say some more. It was the first public rally for the former editor's brainchild called The Saving LA Project, and it showed, at the very least, that a groundswell of frustrated citizens were now willing to speak up, organize, and hit the streets. The politicians will be watching Kaye's follow through.

Ron Kaye, former editor of the Los Angeles Daily News, speaks at the Bastille Day rally for The Saving LA Project in downtown.

On Saturday afternoon, inside theater number two at the Directors Guild of America building on Sunset Boulevard, California State Senator Sheila Kuehl sat on a panel with other gays and lesbians for a "special event" at Outfest called "Queer State of the Nation." Kuehl was feeling feisty.

"Tell them that they better fucking do what Hillary tells them!" she said into her microphone.

As the first openly gay person to be elected to the California legislature, Kuehl, dressed in a red, loose fitting shirt with black slacks, is a trailblazer. She was responding to a question from a woman in the audience, who said her lesbian friends, and Hillary Clinton supporters, were thinking of not voting in November if Barack Obama was the Democratic party's nominee. Kuehl, who once served as chair of the New York senator's California LGBT Steering Committee, seemed bored and somewhat angry with that kind of talk.

"They're dissing their own candidate," said Kuehl, explaining Clinton made it clear that her supporters should now back Obama.

The woman in the audience handed over her microphone to someone else.

Senator Barack Obama fund raiser Jeremy Bernard, left, California State Senator Sheila Kuehl, and actor Dan Butler discuss gays and politics at Outfest last Saturday.

Five fugitives have been apprehended since the Drew Street crackdown last month.

Raul Carbajal and Jose Aviles turned themselves in to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast station on June 26. Two days later, LAPD officers arrested Carlos DeJesus Cervantes in the Drew Street area.

Raul Carbajal

Luis Esteban Vargas was arrested July 1 by LAPD officers while driving on a suspended license. Vargas was carrying rock cocaine at the time of his arrest, according to Sarah Pullen, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Luis Vargas

Juana Orrostieta, 23, was picked up on July 7 by LAPD officers while walking down Drew Street. When she saw officers she tried to cover her face with an infant she was carrying, said Pullen.

As I write this from my wife's apartment, from a fifth floor bedroom window in Moscow's Ismailovo district, north east of central Moscow, a crane is dropping slabs of concrete in what used to be the building's back yard. It was a wooded patch with a pigeon coop, a playground and a nursery school that my 25-year-old stepdaughter, Sasha, attended when she was 4. That's all gone now. In their place are rows of corroded pipes that will be used in the construction of what's to be a 17-story luxury condo complex. This will entomb my wife's apartment in darkness. Keep in mind, she owns her apartment. She bought it from the city during perestroika. It's an investment, or is supposed to be.