Los Angeles "Mayor
Antonio Villaraigosa accelerated his drive Thursday to take over the troubled Los Angeles Unified School District, announcing for the first time that he wants full control in two years and will unveil a detailed reform plan in three months," reports the LA Times.
But to get that control, Villaraigosa will have to fight. "There will be opposition from the teachers union — a potent political force — and perhaps even from members of the City Council. On Thursday, Councilman
Tony Cardenas proposed an alternative to mayoral control that would professionalize the school board.
A new audit released by the state auditor
blasted the LA City Attorney's office for its use of outside attorneys. "Los Angeles city attorney and attorney general candidate
Rocky Delgadillo<, who oversees millions of dollars the city pays private law firms, can't document why his office selected many firms, according to a highly critical state audit released Thursday.
The auditors also found
large accounting errors in the city's calculation of how much it has paid law firms, which Los Angeles often hires to handle complex legal matters.
"Overall, we found that the attorney's office
could not provide documents to demonstrate that it had followed the policies and procedures it has in place," the audit concluded.
Guess who may get involved in
California's next clemency hearing? No less than former special prosecutor
Kenneth Starr, according to the Bee.
"Starr could not be reached for comment Thursday. An ACLU press release said Starr is getting involved in the Morales case because the condemned inmate "immediately took responsibility for his actions, was distraught with remorse and has made impressive and consistent efforts to atone for his crime while in prison. "Starr could not be reached for comment Thursday. An ACLU press release said Starr is getting involved in the Morales case because the condemned inmate "immediately took responsibility for his actions, was distraught with remorse and has made impressive and consistent efforts to atone for his crime while in prison."
See Bill? All you had to do was take some responsibility.
Speaking of the Morales case, the AP reports "A federal judge will
hear claims from a death row inmate that the U.S. Constitution's prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment is violated by California's lethal injection procedures."
Morales' request of an injunction will be heard on Feb. 9.
What's good for LA is good for San Francisco, apparently. The Chronicle reports that, just as officials at the LA Dept. of Water and Power used bottle water, so do many San Francisco public offices. "San Francisco, owner of a pristine reservoir in the Sierra Nevada with a reputation for
producing some of the country's best-tasting tap water, has spent more than $2 million of taxpayers' money in the past 4 1/2 years on bottled water, public records show. From the mayor's office in City Hall to the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, city employees and politicians enjoy individual bottles and jugs from the water cooler even though in many cases a faucet is nearby."
Outrageous! Before anybody launches an investigation, we at the Roundup readily admit that we drink from a water cooler,
even though there's a perfectly good toilet to drink from nearby.
And thanks to all who participated in the
Name the Governor's Hamster contest. We received lots of entries. Multiple suggestions of "Susan," "Maria," "Harley," "Helmet," and of course "Richard Gere." There was "FuzzNuts," "Schwarzehamster," "The Fuzzinator," "The Haminator," and our personal favorite, "The Verminator." We'll be sure to pass all of your suggestions on to the governor...
