HISTORY LESSONS? Len Wood & Associates of...
HISTORY LESSONS? Len Wood & Associates of Palos Verdes specializes in workshops for local elected government types. On the agenda for its new California series: “Avoiding the Fiscal Nightmare--Lessons From Orange County.” The government training group says the workshops are designed to “increase your comfort level in dealing with financial oversight responsibilities.” Says Wood: “Many elected officials are amateurs at finance, yet they’re asked to make decisions dealing with millions of dollars--with little training.” . . . The first session is in Cypress on April 21.
IT’S MATER DEI TODAY: You can bet they bought extra copies of Monday’s USA Today at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana. The newspaper’s cover story singled out Mater Dei--not only for its outstanding athletic record but for academic excellence. . . . It points out that 800 took the school’s placement test last year, but only 550 were accepted. Also impressive: 97% of its students go on to college--34 points above the national percentage.
BRINGING JUICE? Writer Dominick Dunne’s career got a boost with his coverage of the Menendez brothers’ trial for Vanity Fair. Now, thanks to Judge Lance Ito, Dunne has a prime seat at the O.J. Simpson trial. . . . So Dunne, above, isn’t likely to be short on material when he speaks Thursday night at the Calvin Klein boutique at South Coast Plaza. It’s an invitation-only bash put on by Vanity Fair. Afterward, says a magazine spokeswoman, it’s “cocktail reception and shopping.”
SURE CURE: The local Drug Use Is Life Abuse program faces tough times: The financially strapped county threatens to cut almost $200,000 from its budget (A9). But it can still count on a longtime partner for help. Disneyland will open its doors March 30 to host an after-hours party for supporters of the nonprofit anti-drug program. Tickets will be $20 and the park will be open from 8:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. Says director Marilyn MacDougall: “Disneyland has been a good friend to us for quite a while.”
More to Read
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.