Law Enforcement

LAPPL comments on the retiree healthcare subsidy
The Mayor has chosen to target and attack retirees who do not have the resources or collective voice to fight back in order to maintain what was promised to them after a lifetime of dedicated service to the City of Los Angeles. Only if the Mayor had threatened children would these actions be more despicable. Our retirees deserve what was contractually promised to them in their golden years.
LAPPL Blog

Why the collective bargaining debate should matter to you
Collective bargaining helps ensure that you are still treated and compensated fairly. It ensures you have a say in the sacrifices and cuts you will shoulder. We aren't asking you to protect the contracts or deals or wages of other workers; that's the job of their respective unions. But as direct beneficiaries of the collective bargaining process, we should oppose a misguided attack on the process because there's no guarantee that it won't spread to our state, in one form or another.
LAPPL Blog

LAPD killing of autistic man was wrong, Police Commission rules
The civilian commission that oversees the Los Angeles Police Department has taken the rare step of rejecting a recommendation from the department's chief, ruling that two police officers were wrong when they fatally shot an unarmed autistic man last year. Police Chief Charlie Beck concluded after a lengthy internal investigation that the officers made serious tactical mistakes during the brief, late-night encounter, but ultimately were justified in using deadly force against Steven Eugene Washington, 27.
Los Angeles Times

Quit Googling yourself and drive: About 20% of drivers using Web behind the wheel, study says
Forget texting and driving or talking on the phone and driving: Those extremely dangerous habits are old hat. The new worry, says a survey released by State Farm last week, is what the insurance company cleverly calls "webbing while driving." That means looking up Web pages, following driving directions, reading and composing e-mails, checking Facebook, and twiddling with smart-phone apps -- activities that require sustained concentration and multiple key presses.
Los Angeles Times

Immigration

Election 2011

L.A.'s budget woes dominate City Council elections
No matter who wins Tuesday's election, the job of governing Los Angeles City Hall is about to get much tougher. Twenty-six candidates are vying for seven seats on a City Council that, within a matter of weeks, will consider slashing more jobs, more public services and more employee hours in an effort to close a $404-million budget gap. With more than 3,500 city workers already cut from the payroll through layoffs, transfers and early retirement, debate has shifted to the possibility of fewer ambulances, reduced graffiti paint-outs and pay cuts for employees.
Los Angeles Times LA Weekly

State & Municipal Budget Crises

Pensions emerge as key issue in budget talks
A partisan split on how to change California's massively underfunded pension systems is playing an increasingly prominent role in the debate over Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to fix the state's woeful budget. Democrats, who control both houses of the Legislature, have scheduled votes this week on the plan, which balances deep spending cuts with an extension of tax hikes enacted two years ago. Republicans so far have refused to support the tax extensions. They say the state must first make fundamental government reforms, led by restructuring a pension system filled with benefits that disappeared long ago for most the private sector.
AP

After firefighters agree to slash pay and benefits, other San Jose unions seem more willing to talk cuts
San Jose's pending deal with the firefighters' union to slash pay and benefits to help close a huge budget gap marks the most dramatic thaw in labor relations since Mayor Chuck Reed took office in 2007 railing over runaway employee costs. The firefighters' union, under new leadership after years of battles with the city, was the first to reach a tentative deal with the city this year. But more than half of San Jose's other employee unions have proposed extending temporary pay cuts they grudgingly accepted in June -- and city officials are evaluating their offers.
San Jose Mercury News

Politics

At least seven candidates consider a run for Los Angeles mayor in 2013
Though the election is two years away, the race officially began Saturday when potential candidates could file paperwork to raise money. With at least seven Los Angeles heavyweights considering a run to replace Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who is boxed out by term limits, the race is drawing comparisons to the 1993 contest, when two dozen candidates lined up to take over from retiring Mayor Tom Bradley.
Los Angeles Times

Health Care

Nearly all nursing homes employ convicted criminals
More than 90 percent of nursing homes employ at least one person with at least one criminal conviction, and nearly half of facilities have five people on staff with a criminal conviction, according to a report by the federal Health and Human Services Inspector General. Among those convicted, about 44 percent of employees were found guilty of property crimes such as burglary, shoplifting or writing bad checks. The workers most likely to have convictions were housekeeping, nursing assistant and dietary workers, according to the report, which was released last week.
California Watch