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Eric Garcetti faces tough tests when he takes office as mayor

By David Zahniser and Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:03:00 PDT

L.A.'s mayor-elect offered voters lofty visions. But he faces battles over employee salaries, police overtime pay and how to reverse cuts in numerous city services.

In the campaign for mayor, Eric Garcetti spoke grandly about a city with plentiful summer jobs for low-income teens, a tunnel under the traffic-clogged Sepulveda Pass and even an end to homelessness.

The road to Eric Garcetti's election romp

By Michael Finnegan and Ben Welsh, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 18:57:00 PDT

Eric Garcetti's winning strategy in the mayor's race robbed Wendy Greuel of key strongholds in L.A.

Eric Garcetti defeated Wendy Greuel in the Los Angeles mayor's race by running up huge margins across a vast stretch of the central city, from the Eastside to Pacific Palisades, while denying his rival the San Fernando Valley stronghold that was essential to her candidacy.

Bell is on the brink of a fiscal crisis, audit says

By Ruben Vives and Hector Becerra, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:50:00 PDT

The scandal-plagued city has a possible negative balance in its general fund and had a huge drop in revenue after it stopped collecting an illegal tax, the state controller says.

Bell's finances have worsened considerably since its infamous corruption scandal, leaving the city unable to refund millions of dollars in taxes illegally levied on residents and businesses, an audit released Wednesday shows.

Carmen Trutanich's defeat sown in a broken pledge

By Jean Merl and Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:45:00 PDT

The city attorney acknowledges his resounding defeat in his bid to keep his post was payback for the ill-fated run for district attorney he made despite promising to serve two terms in the city job.

The seeds of one-term Los Angeles City Atty. Carmen Trutanich's resounding election defeat Tuesday were planted in his ill-fated run for district attorney last year. The candidate himself acknowledged that with less than a quarter of the ballots counted.

New L.A. law on medical marijuana shops faces hazy future

By Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:05:00 PDT

Voters approved a measure that would keep only 135 dispensaries — those operating before a failed moratorium in 2007 — open. But challenges await the law.

Los Angeles voters took regulation of the city's medical marijuana shops into their own hands Tuesday, embracing a ballot measure to sharply reduce the number of dispensaries in the city.

Michael Jackson referred to as 'freak' in AEG email

By Jeff Gottlieb and Corina Knoll, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:27:00 PDT

Firm's top lawyer called Jackson 'the freak' in email to an AEG exec. The email was disclosed at the trial in the wrongful-death suit filed against AEG by Jackson's mother and children.

In his opening statement in the Michael Jackson wrongful-death suit, an attorney for AEG said his side would expose the singer's secrets. "We're going to show some ugly stuff," Marvin Putnam said.

Closing arguments heard in businesswoman's murder trial

By Jack Leonard, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:23:00 PDT

Kelly Soo Park is accused of beating and strangling Juliana Redding, an aspiring actress and model, in her Santa Monica apartment.

Kelly Soo Park balked when homicide detectives handed her a warrant to collect her fingerprints.

Irvine among fastest-growing U.S. cities

By Emily Alpert, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 21:08:00 PDT

The Orange County city grew nearly five times as fast as the Southland average, with population nearing 230,000, census data show.

Irvine grew faster than all but seven other large U.S. cities between July 2011 and July 2012, with its population vaulting to nearly 230,000 last year, new census data show.

The bottom line: It's time to restore dental care for the poor

George Skelton — Wed, 22 May 2013 16:45:00 PDT

Whoever's budget projection is right, state politicians should bring back the coverage cut from Medi-Cal in 2009. It would be unconscionable not to.

SACRAMENTO — State Capitol politicians may have an extra $3.2 billion to play with. Or they may not.

Complaints filed against USC, UC Berkeley over rape reporting

By Dalina Castellanos, Los Angeles Times — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:31:00 PDT

Gloria Allred and students and activists say the schools, as well as two East Coast colleges, fail to follow federal laws including the reporting of campus crimes such as sexual assault.

Students and activists joined together Wednesday to file complaints against colleges and universities nationwide, alleging that the schools have failed to follow federal laws, including those involving the reporting of sexual assaults and discrimination.