May 3, 2012 | 4:30 pm

Moving swiftly after a judge dismissed its case, the district attorney’s office refiled 24 perjury and voter-fraud charges late Thursday afternoon against Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes De Oca Alarcon.

The new charges make the same allegations as a case thrown out by Superior Court Judge Kathleen Kennedy on Thursday morning, accusing the Alarcons of lying about living in a house in Panorama City so that the councilman could run for his 7th District office.

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Last year, Assessor John Noguez estimated that the county property tax base would grow by almost $18.7 billion for the next fiscal year. But he revised that figure to $5.1 billion last week. The drop could lead to cuts in law enforcement, education and other services.

By Jason Song, Los Angeles Times
April 10, 2012

Los Angeles County could receive almost $50 million less than expected in property taxes next year, according to the latest estimates, which could lead to cuts in law enforcement, education and other services.

Last year, Assessor John Noguez estimated that the county property tax base would grow by almost $18.7 billion for the next fiscal year. But he revised that figure to $5.1 billion last week.

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BY DUG BEGLEY
STAFF WRITER
dbegley@pe.com

Published: 05 April 2012 10:43 PM

Faced with a half-trillion dollars in Southern California transportation needs through 2035, officials Thursday called for higher gas taxes or a shift to a fee drivers would pay based on how far they drive.

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By Alejandro Lazo, Los Angeles Times
February 16, 2012

The Southland’s housing market is flooded with cash-rich, bargain-hunting investors snapping up distressed homes and dragging down overall prices — but their presence also indicates the market could be nearing bottom.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Created: 01/14/2012 06:12:34 AM PST

Truckers may not even get to use the proposed High Desert Corridor for eight – or more – years, but the transportation officials are proposing the Victorville-to-Palmdale roadway as a solution to the traffic congestion problems of the High Desert and Antelope Valley regions.

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By Richard Winton and Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times
December 10, 2011

The early release of inmates in some parts of California is accelerating as officials at county jails struggle to accommodate state prisoners flowing into their facilities.

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By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times
November 16, 2011

A Los Angeles judge Tuesday ordered the release of all pension data for 50,000 Los Angeles County government retirees, rejecting arguments by union and retirement system attorneys that the records are confidential.

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Confidential Sheriff’s Department memos focused on force at Men’s Central Jail, an aging downtown Los Angeles facility that Sheriff Lee Baca has said should be torn down and replaced. (Damian Dovarganes, Associated Press / September 28, 2011)

By Jack Leonard and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
October 29, 2011, 9:25 p.m.

Nearly two years before Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca acknowledged that jailer brutality was a problem, his command staff raised alarms about excessive force used on inmates in the nation’s largest jail system, according to confidential memos reviewed by The Times.

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The Los Angeles County sheriff said he failed to implement important reforms that could have minimized brutality. He also said his command staff has at times left him in the dark about jail conditions.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca, left, meets with the editorial board at the Los Angeles Times. (Al Seib, Los Angeles Times / October 14, 2011)

By Jack Leonard and Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
October 16, 2011, 5:55 p.m.

In a searing self-critique, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca acknowledged that he was out of touch about problems in his jails and had failed to implement important reforms that could have minimized deputy brutality against inmates.

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Frank C. Girardot, Staff Writer
Created: 09/30/2011 05:03:08 PM PDT

Local officials are bracing for a radical realignment of the state penal system that will place thousands of low-level felons in county jail rather than prison.

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Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Created: 09/26/2011 09:25:30 PM PDT

An overflow crowd is expected today as the Board of Supervisors tackles the once-a-decade task of redrawing Los Angeles County’s voting boundaries and decides whether to give Latinos more political clout.

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Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 09/17/2011 07:08:23 AM PDT

Probation departments in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties are expected to soon start expanding as the state prison system shifts responsibility for thousands of low-level offenders to local agencies.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
August 29, 2011 | 4:09 pm

The state Senate on Monday afternoon failed to approve a controversial bill to disband the troubled city of Vernon and make it a part of Los Angeles County.

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Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Created: 08/23/2011 05:51:36 PM PDT

Los Angeles County’s overall property tax roll climbed for the first time in two years in 2010-11, but San Bernardino County has yet to see overall property values climb since the recession.

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Back to drawing board

Staff Reports
Created: 08/20/2011 08:28:05 PM PDT

Los Angeles County supervisors are confronted with numerous options for redrawing district boundaries, but they are increasingly unlikely to have the final say on the fate of the lines.

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Board orders an investigation of Vernon’s books amid concerns that an effort to dissolve the city might unfairly burden county coffers.

By Garrett Therolf and Sam Allen, Los Angeles Times
August 17, 2011

Los Angeles County supervisors voted Tuesday to order an investigation of Vernon’s finances amid worries that an effort to dissolve the city might unfairly burden county coffers.

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Interim leader’s last day Sept. 16
Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Created: 08/02/2011 08:33:04 PM PDT

The county’s troubled Department of Children and Family Services will undergo yet another leadership change, after the resignation this week of acting director Jackie Contreras.

She is the agency’s third chief in eight months to step down; her last day is Sept. 16.

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Judge Harvey Silberman had been accused of offering to pay a rival to drop out of a 2008 vote.

By Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times
August 2, 2011

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was acquitted Monday of the charge that he had offered to pay an opponent to drop out of a 2008 election.

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Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Created: 07/23/2011 07:06:26 AM PDT

Four unions representing most of Los Angeles County’s Probation Department’s workers have called for the ouster of the agency’s chief, saying they have lost confidence in his ability to lead.

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South California
Supervisor urges 13 counties to secede
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Created: 07/11/2011 08:10:22 PM PDT

RIVERSIDE – A local lawmaker has called for much of Southern and Central California to secede from the Golden state.

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Mike Antonovich

Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich
Created: 06/29/2011 08:30:33 PM PDT

Democrat and Republican governors across the country are working to cut costs and lower taxes, but Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to level California’s $26 billion deficit – the result of several years of out-of-control government spending – is a “realignment” proposal that not only extends the previous administration’s ineffective tax hikes, but also irresponsibly shrugs the state’s financial burden onto the shoulders of cash-strapped county and municipal governments, creating a real threat to California’s economic recovery and public safety.

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Delgado

SBCUSD worker relations still tense
Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/20/2011 08:38:07 PM PDT

SAN BERNARDINO – The departure of Superintendent Arturo Delgado will not have much impact on the current stalemate between the school district and its Personnel Commission, say district and union officials.

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Housing market
Business suffers all over SoCal
Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 06/13/2011 09:22:10 PM PDT

Southern California home sales continued at a snail’s pace in May while the median sale price fell by the largest amount in 20 months.

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Delgado

San Bernardino City Unified
Delgado to take job with L.A. County
Debbie Pfeiffer Trunnell, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/07/2011 10:53:00 PM PDT

Arturo Delgado, the superintendent of San Bernardino City Unified School District, is leaving to become the Los Angeles County superintendent of schools.

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John W. Pace, left, stands out as the only recruit wearing the Sheriff’s Department’s tan and green uniform at the graduation of academy Class 383 in April. The other 18 recruits are from local police agencies. (Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times / May 29, 2011)

By Robert Faturechi, Los Angeles Times
May 29, 2011

In an effort to cut costs, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has not hired any rookie deputies in the last 19 months, with one exception: an applicant with ties to Sheriff Lee Baca’s son.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2011 – 11:54 a.m.

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors needs some pointers from a neighbor.

They really do!

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Supervisors to oversee 2 departments directly
Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Created: 05/17/2011 09:34:50 PM PDT

A month after one of his deputies sparked the anger of Los Angeles County supervisors by defying a direct order, the board voted Tuesday to seize authority over two troubled departments from county CEO Bill Fujioka.

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Cooley

L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
May 17, 2011 | 2:22 pm

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said Tuesday that he would not run for a fourth term as the county’s top prosecutor, ending intense speculation as a crowded field of candidates vies to succeed him.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
April 28, 2011 | 11:45 am

The state Assembly on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a bill that would dissolve the city of Vernon.

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L.A. County pays millions to homeless
Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Created: 04/20/2011 09:06:26 PM PDT

Faced with the prospect of further budget cutbacks, two Los Angeles County supervisors who represent Inland Valley cities proposed a new plan this week to control the rapid growth of welfare payments to the poor.

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L.A. County’s CEO unveils $23.3B plan
Christina Villacorte, Staff Writer
Created: 04/18/2011 09:00:40 PM PDT

Los Angeles County’s chief executive officer unveiled a $23.3 billion proposed budget Monday that closes a $221 million gap mostly through one-time solutions, while avoiding new furloughs or laying off county workers.

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By Liset Marquez Staff Writer
Posted: 04/15/2011 09:48:11 PM PDT

California’s unemployment rate continues to decline, but Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties have yet to convert that into long-term job growth, analysts say.

Both counties, in recent months, have experienced inconsistency in job growth, said Brad Kemp, an analyst for Beacon Economics.

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R.C., Fontana spurred growth
James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 03/12/2011 11:09:52 PM PST

Growth in those areas and across the Inland Empire came largely because of affordable homes sold in the first half of the decade, said Brad Kemp, director of regional research at Beacon Economics.

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Tracy Garcia, Staff Writer
Created: 03/07/2011 10:04:28 PM PST

In response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to shift certain state programs to local governments, Los Angeles County supervisors have voted to seek a state constitutional amendment to ensure a steady funding source for programs moved to local control.

Earlier this year, Brown proposed a series of “realignments” to cut costs, including making local governments responsible for state programs such as:

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By Jeff Gottlieb, Corina Knoll and Christopher Goffard, Los Angeles Times
February 7, 2011, 7:00 p.m.

Lawyers for six current and former Bell leaders said their clients would not accept plea deals that would have sent them to prison for two years and forced them to pay back hundreds of thousands of dollars allegedly looted from the city treasury.

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Rep. David Dreier

By James Rufus Koren Staff Writer
Created: 01/13/2011 07:24:52 PM PST

Rep. David Dreier, R-San Dimas, has proposed a bill that would expand two wilderness areas in the San Gabriel Mountains.

Dreier’s bill, cosponsored by Rep. Judy Chu, D-El Monte, would add 18,000 acres to the Sheep Mountain and Cucamonga wilderness areas, increasing the combined size of those areas by more than 30 percent.

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Wendy Leung, Staff Writer
Created: 01/05/2011 05:46:05 PM PST

Local government officials’ interests were piqued when Gov. Jerry Brown said on Tuesday he wants to try a new approach to dealing with the state’s budget mess by restructuring the relationship with local government agencies and shifting many state services to county and city control.

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By Anthony York and Shane Goldmacher, Los Angeles Times
January 5, 2011

Reporting from Sacramento —

In his first full day on the job, Gov. Jerry Brown walked right up to the third rail of California politics: Proposition 13.

Heading into a meeting with local government officials Tuesday morning, Brown said implementation of the property-tax limits that Californians hold dear has contributed to the state’s financial mess. The new governor said his budget proposal next week would include plans to return to cities and counties many government functions that Sacramento took over after Proposition 13 passed.

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The Republican, who lost a close race for state attorney general to Democrat Kamala Harris, says he would consider running in 2012 if a qualified candidate didn’t enter the race.

L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley narrowly lost the race for state attorney general to San Francisco’s district attorney, Kamala Harris. But Cooley drew more votes than any other Republican on the ballot. (Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

By Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times
December 2, 2010

In his first campaign news conference since narrowly losing his bid for California attorney general, Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said Wednesday that he would not rule out running for a fourth term as the county’s top prosecutor.

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Politics Blog

Posted By: Marisa Lagos | November 15 2010 at 05:40 PM

As the vote counting in the attorney general race continues — as well as bickering among the campaigns — we have some real news to report: The state’s campaign finance watchdog confirmed today that it has launched an investigation into Steve Cooley’s gift-taking in recent years — a practice detailed in The Chronicle.

The FPPC’s investigation, however, is not an indication that the agency believes Cooley has done anything wrong.

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Monday, November 15, 2010 – 10:15 a.m.

Which county registrar is causing heartburn in the close race for California Attorney General?

The answer? Los Angeles.

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James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 11/04/2010 08:13:33 PM PDT

Voters in San Bernardino and Los Angeles counties closely echoed voters up and down the state in saying “yes” or “no” to the nine state ballot measures decided Tuesday.

A majority of voters in each county picked the winners and losers in all but two cases.

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Sunday, October 31, 2010 – 6:20 p.m.

The Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters is reporting that 36.3% or 401,269 of 1,105,381 absentee ballots issued have been returned as of this evening.

The absentee ballot return is 9.05% or 401,269 of 4,436,018 total registered voters.

Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
Created: 10/19/2010 08:26:00 PM PDT

Despite learning Tuesday that Los Angeles County faces a $26 billion tab over coming decades to cover pension and retiree health care costs, the Board of Supervisors delayed pursuing reforms to the retirement system after unions threatened legal action.

The supervisors were preparing to consider a series of reforms that included raising the county’s minimum retirement age and asking employees to contribute more to their plans.

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Supervisors may seek talks to reduce benefits
Troy Anderson and Liset Marquez, Staff Writers
Created: 10/18/2010 08:46:56 PM PDT

Pension reform proponents are skeptical about the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors’ proposed changes to the county pension system – a move some contend would save the county $200 million per year.

The board is expected to vote today on whether to direct Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka to begin negotiations with county unions to modify the pension system.

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The list comprises mostly medical personnel and department heads, but also includes firefighters, the sheriff and district attorney. Thirty employees made more than $80,000 in overtime.

By Rong-Gong Lin II, Los Angeles Times

October 5, 2010

Nearly 200 Los Angeles County employees earned more than a quarter of a million dollars in 2009, according to a list of the county’s top earners released late Monday in response to a Public Records Act request from The Times.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
September 21, 2010 | 11:23 am

Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley filed charges against eight current and former Bell officials Tuesday, alleging that they misappropriated $5.5 million in public funds. Robert Rizzo, Bell’s former city manager, has been charged with 53 counts of misappropriation of public funds and conflict of interest.

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The 5-square-mile city of Vernon was incorporated in 1905 under the slogan “exclusively industrial.” The Los Angeles County district attorney’s office is conducting an investigation into public corruption in the city. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

By Sam Allen and Hector Becerra Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

September 8, 2010|2:57 p.m.

Top administrators in the city of Vernon, already among the highest-paid local officials in the state, racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars on first-class flights, rooms at luxury hotels like the Ritz-Carlton and limousine service paid for by the city, records reviewed by The Times show.

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Republican Steve Cooley is running for state attorney general. (Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times / May 8, 2008)

By Rich Connell, Los Angeles Times

September 6, 2010|8:18 a.m.

Rene Cota was stunned when he searched the Internet and came across a $1,500 campaign contribution reported recently by Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley, who is running for state attorney general.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
September 3, 2010 | 2:47 pm

Welfare payments to children of illegal immigrants in Los Angeles County increased in July to $52 million, prompting renewed calls from one county supervisor to rein in public benefits to such families.

The payments, made to illegal immigrants for their U.S. citizen children, included $30 million in food stamps and $22 million from the CalWORKS welfare program, according to Los Angeles County figures released Friday by Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
September 3, 2010 | 5:31 pm

A medical marijuana dispensary that Los Angeles was seeking to shut down under its three-month-old ordinance has won a court order allowing it to stay open, the first ruling from a local judge to favor one of the hundreds of stores affected by the new law.

On Thursday, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mohr granted a temporary restraining order to allow DTPG to stay in business pending another hearing.

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Executive got $243,898 through a consulting firm headed by his wife plus an annual salary of more than $380,000. He claimed to have worked six months straight, including 13 hours on New Year’s Day.

By Kim Christensen and Sam Allen, Los Angeles Times

August 27, 2010|7:10 p.m.

One of California’s highest-paid public employees has been relieved of his duties while Vernon officials conduct a “comprehensive review” of his and his wife’s financial dealings with the well-heeled industrial city.

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Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
Created: 08/24/2010 08:23:32 PM PDT

The assessed values of properties in Los Angeles County dropped for the second year in a row, falling about $19 billion to just over $1 trillion, county Assessor Robert Quon said Tuesday.

The further reduction in overall assessed value should give additional property tax breaks to many homeowners, especially those who bought at the peak of the real estate market in 2007.

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Cooley

Corruption team has many cases
Bethania Palma Markus, Staff Writer
Created: 08/16/2010 04:02:35 PM PDT

The tiny city of Bell made national headlines after it was discovered officials had helped themselves to grossly inflated salaries, shining the spotlight on corruption in Los Angeles County.

More than a year before the Bell headlines broke, attorneys and investigators from the Public Integrity Division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office had been probing complaints of wrongdoing in the small municipality.

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Two months after launching a probe of the mayor’s acceptance of free tickets, one of the panel’s members warns that the commission might actually be about to weaken, rather than strengthen, gift laws for elected officials.

By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times

August 11, 2010

The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission failed Tuesday to approve a plan to tighten rules regulating free tickets received by elected officials, with one member warning that the panel is on the verge of weakening, not strengthening, its own gift laws.

Two months after the agency’s enforcement team opened an investigation into Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s practice of accepting free tickets to major sports and cultural events, commissioners found themselves at odds over a proposal to bar high-level officials from receiving any gift from companies with business pending before them.

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Cooley

Tuesday, August 10, 2010 – 10:00 pm

Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley, the republican candidate for California Attorney General, landed two key endorsements today.

The California Coalition of Law Enforcement Associations and Peace Officers Research Association of California have both endorsed Cooley.

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Brown

Monday, August 9, 2010 – 9:50 am

Stop the presses!

The Office of the Democratic Candidate for Governor has scheduled a press conference for this morning in Los Angeles.

I’m sorry. I meant Office of the Attorney General.

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Alarcon

L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
August 4, 2010 | 3:28 pm

A grand jury has handed down a 24-count felony indictment against Los Angeles City Councilman Richard Alarcon and his wife, Flora Montes de Oca, accusing them of perjury and voter fraud stemming from their assertion in that they lived in a home in Panorama City.

In an indictment unsealed Wednesday, the Los Angeles County Grand Jury said Alarcon and his wife falsely claimed that they lived in a house within Alarcon’s 7th Council District in the San Fernando Valley.

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Pomona force on city agenda
Monica Rodriguez, Staff Writer
Created: 07/31/2010 10:37:54 AM PDT

POMONA – City administrators are recommending the City Council refrain from placing an initiative on the Nov. 2 ballot asking voters whether the city should consider contracting with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for law enforcement services.

An estimate for law enforcement services, referred to as a Phase I analysis, submitted by the Sheriff’s Department does not contain sufficient information to make a decision as to whether the city should keep the Pomona Police Department or dismantle it and contract with the county, according to a city staff report.

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L.A. County D.A. examines the city’s $4.6-million purchase tied to a former politician.

By Hector Becerra and Paul Pringle, Los Angeles Times

July 31, 2010

The city of Bell has a pattern of doing business with current and former city officials, including an ex-mayor who served time in federal prison, according to interviews and records obtained by The Times.

In the most recent deal, Bell’s Community Redevelopment Agency last year paid $4.6 million to purchase property from a family trust of longtime politician Peter Werrlein, who was sentenced to three years in prison in the 1980s for holding hidden interests in a poker casino.

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Democratic gubernatorial candidate and attorney general Jerry Brown evaporated from the air waves yesterday after Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley arrived on the scene to set the record straight regarding his office’s investigation into the City of Bell salary and pension scandal.

Brown has went quiet on the Bell episode in the the media circuit since Cooley gave interviews to newspaper and radio stations starting Monday.

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Yes, Attorney General Jerry Brown repeatedly claims he’s all over the City of Bell salary scandal.

Brown’s office has subpoenaed thousands of city records. He’s giving city officials twenty-four hours to turn them over.

Otherwise one can infer search warrants will be the order of the day.

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Steve Cooley

Investigators are looking into allegations of voter fraud and conflicts of interest, as well as the $100,000 salaries paid to four council members. The D.A. says several elections are targeted.

By Richard Winton, Jeff Gottlieb and Andrew Blankstein, Los Angeles Times

July 28, 2010

Los Angeles County prosecutors have launched a wide-ranging investigation into allegations of voter fraud and conflicts of interest involving municipal business in Bell, Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said Tuesday.

In an interview with The Times, Cooley described an investigation considerably larger in scope than previously acknowledged by prosecutors, saying that it was “multifaceted, rapidly expanding and full-fledged.” Investigators have been gathering evidence since March, he said.

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L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in

July 27, 2010 | 2:13 pm

A lawsuit filed Monday by a former Bell police officer makes a variety of serious allegations about city officials and suggests voter fraud in a 2009 election.

According to the lawsuit, filed by James Corcoran, off-duty police officers in Bell distributed absentee ballots in a 2009 municipal election and told would-be voters which candidates to support.

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Crime | Government | Medical marijuana | Education | Prop 8 | Traffic | Westside
L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in

July 26, 2010 | 7:37 am

The embattled Bell City Council will meet Monday night to consider cutting council member pay, which is now considered significantly higher than that of other cities of the same size.

The move comes three days after the council announced the resignations of three top city administrators, including the city manager who was making nearly $800,000 a year.

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Trend in the Region
Property Values Dip for Second Year
Friday, July 23, 2010

By Rich Saskal

ALAMEDA, Calif. — Assessed property values in California are likely to decline for the second year running, according to a Bond Buyer review of data from the state’s larger counties.

Even though the state’s tax assessment system has the effect of muting the volatility of property assessments, 11 of the state’s 12 largest counties experienced a decline in their property tax roll this year.

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Brown

Thursday, July 22, 2010 – 08:38 pm

Listeners to the KFI AM-640 John and Ken show were treated to a surprise unannounced five minute call-in from California Attorney General Jerry Brown this evening.

Brown wanted to talk about his new investigation into the City of Bell salary scandal. However, John Kobylt and Ken Chiampou wanted to talk about illegal immigration.

Prior to Brown’s call-in John and Ken had adopted Calbuzz’s nickname for Brown, a.k.a “Krusty”.

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Overtime reduction creates backlog in evidence testing
Wes Woods II, Staff Writer
Created: 07/19/2010 06:19:48 PM PDT

Budget cuts that reduced overtime have slowed the analysis of narcotics evidence by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the police in Pomona and La Verne have noticed the effects.

“Routine narcotics evidence that has been sent to the crime lab has gone from taking a week to taking two to three weeks or sometimes more to get it back,” said Pomona police Sgt. Rob Baker on Monday.

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L.A. County sees $200M shortfall
Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
Created: 06/28/2010 08:28:10 PM PDT

Stung by an $8 billion pension fund loss last year, Los Angeles County supervisors will be asked today to spend an additional $200 million to shore up its wilting retirement system.

If the money is approved, the taxpayer tab for county employees’ pensions would soar in the fiscal year beginning Thursday from $787 million to $987 million.

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Villaraigosa

Can the mayor drive a hard bargain with entities like AEG, the Dodgers and the motion picture academy if he has also been the recipient of tickets?

By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times

June 29, 2010

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has argued for weeks that his acceptance of free tickets to concerts, awards shows and athletic events is not subject to state gift disclosure law because his attendance is part of his official duties.

Yet beyond the thorny legal issues, Villaraigosa faces a political question: Can he drive a hard bargain with entities that do millions of dollars in business with the city if they are also giving him access to pricey entertainment?

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Board OKs boycott

Troy Anderson and Connie Llanos, Staff Writers
Created: 06/01/2010 10:04:13 PM PDT

Two Los Angeles governing boards Tuesday joined a list of cities, counties and community groups that have slammed Arizona’s tough new immigration law.

In a split vote along party lines, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed to suspend all travel to Arizona for county business unless the travel is considered imperative; ban county investments in Arizona securities; and review all contracts with Arizona-based companies and report on how those contracts can be terminated.

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By Susan Ferriss
sferriss@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 30, 2010 – 12:00 am | Page 3A

As he stares into the abyss of a $19.1 billion state budget shortfall, Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg is urging Californians to consider an earth-shifting governmental move.

To help social services such as child welfare and elder care avoid massive cuts, he wants to transfer more responsibility for those programs from the state to counties.

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Daniel Tedford, Staff Writer
Created: 05/27/2010 06:19:44 PM PDT

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department will strip 99 reserve officers of their positions after an audit showed they weren’t trained properly, officials said Thursday.

A report from the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training found the department did not use certified locations and didn’t keep proper records when training 99 Level III reserve officers in 2008, according to a statement from Sheriff Lee Baca.

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$1.2B shortfall could up layoffs
Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
Created: 05/18/2010 10:06:15 PM PDT

Facing an additional loss of $1.2 billion in revenue based on the state’s latest budget forecast, Los Angeles County might have to lay off more workers than it had originally expected, two supervisors warned Tuesday.

Following a Board of Supervisors’ discussion Tuesday about the impact of the state’s revised $83.4 billion budget, Supervisors Zev Yaroslavsky and Michael Antonovich said layoffs might be unavoidable.

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James Rufus Koren, Staff Writer
Created: 05/07/2010 06:09:54 PM PDT

Redevelopment agencies will have to pay $1.7 billion to public schools Monday in a complicated funding scheme aimed at giving the state’s ailing budget a shot in the arm.

A Sacramento judge ruled Tuesday that the funding shift is legal, though redevelopment agencies have appealed that decision. The California Redevelopment Association asked an appellate court to allow agencies to hold on to its money while the appeal is heard, but the court denied that request Friday afternoon.

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